


Burn me to ash

by PoisonJack



Series: Purge that urge [7]
Category: Borderlands, Tales from the Borderlands - Fandom
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Altered Mental States, Anal Sex, Angst, Blow Jobs, Comfort and care, Established Relationship, General au, Impossible refractory periods, Jack quit being a mope, M/M, Marathon Sex, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Multiple Orgasms, Omega!Jack, Omegaverse, Porn With Plot, Rhysie you are too devoted stop it, Self-Loathing, Silly pseudo science about endotypes cuz that's fun, a/b/o dynamics, alpha!rhys, lets explore the whole daily life aspect normal shit shall we?, or would that just be labeled territorial? Haha, protective possessiveness, youre an omega fucking deal with it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-08
Updated: 2016-02-16
Packaged: 2018-05-12 13:01:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5666983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoisonJack/pseuds/PoisonJack
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack is fed up with his endotype, and tests out an experimental drug to change him from omega to alpha.</p><p>It doesn't work so much as it backfires, bringing on a crazy strong heat that he has no memory of. Rhys does his best to take care of the man while they're locked in his office for the whole ordeal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This has been sitting waiting to be started and posted for a long time now, and my ass is back in Japan now (vacation over sob sob sob) so here we go :3 was going to post it last night but I literally passed out jet lagged to hell on my bed so yeah xD If anything reads strange it's because my proofing has been done by a tired tired mind D:

Being an omega was sometimes a sore point for Jack. Sometimes he ranted about it, other times he acted like he didn't give a shit, and sometimes he reveled in all he'd done _despite_ what people said about being an omega. But overall his endotype bothered him; he felt it held him back.

He had a master plan. One to finally deal with all the bullshit he had to put up with just because of his endotype. Jack was tired of his omega biology screwing him over or working against him, whether internally or through societal expectations, and he had a plan to change it.

Literally.

He'd dealt with the prejudices and extra hurdles one had to conquer as an omega trying to climb the corporate ladder. He'd seen how people expected certain things of him just because of his biology; to be physically weaker, ruled by his emotions, to be a follower and not a leader-- or worse, to lick the boots and submit to any alpha he came in contact with. He'd had to challenge and crush these assumptions (and perpetrators) one by one with his climb to the top, and he secretly admitted to himself that he'd been naive to think it would stop once he was ruling everything. Here he was, hero of Pandora and ruler of Helios, and he still had to put up with that shit.

He was peeved that the last assassination attempt on Pandora had sent an alpha pack to take him out; one that thought less of him for his biology and that he'd be an easy target. Thinking he wouldn't be as much of a threat since he was an omega had been their downfall. While the misjudgments and ingrained omega-prejudices seemed to sometimes give him an edge in some situations, he was overall fucking sick of it. 

He didn't like being at the mercy of his heats when they hit him either. He didn't like how gossip naturally blamed anything that went wrong on an omega in a leadership position. And he especially didn't like how fucking or being fucked by someone- _just like everyone else in the whole goddamn universe_ \- somehow made him weaker in the eyes of his rivals _because he was an omega._

Well, pharmaceuticals was working on a little gene therapy for all his woes. Human trials were already taking place. Progress was being made in the direction he wanted.

The experimental drug was supposed to do one of a few things. In trying to change one's endotype, it should at the very least make Jack naturally smell like an alpha if nothing else. Progressing from that, his heats were supposed to go from their usual blazing to barely noticeable to disappearing completely. He wouldn't be a slave to their whims anymore or turn into an incoherent mess. He'd be an alpha for all anyone knew. The scientists suggested that a series of injections would be best to complete the change- that was what was giving best results in their tests- but they were currently working on a single end-all serum. 

It would be different than if he were injecting himself with alpha hormones like some people did for medical conditions- he didn't have any kind of imbalance or anything to correct and those omegas that _did_ take special hormones were usually those who were only trying to delay or stop a heat temporarily. That worked if your heats would affect your job safety- like some of the soldiers he employed. But that wasn't a long term solution. He didn't want to suspend it indefinitely, which could be poor for his health- he wanted to _be_ an alpha.

He hadn't mentioned wanting it to Rhys; wanted to wait and see if the younger man noticed his scent changing by the time the serums were developed. If his own boyfriend didn't notice it then the drug wouldn't fool anyone else, regardless of what his scientists told him. Though he was sure the younger man was more perceptive about his endotypical hangups than he gave him credit for.

There _were_ always special colognes and sprays one could use to mask their scent, of course. Hyperion had a vast network of those on the payroll who sold their pheromones and others who regularly bathed themselves in the musk to be perceived differently. But scent was only the beginning, and he considered the mask of musk to be a weak facsimile for what he really wanted in the end; not to mention there were some people who knew he was an omega. A cheap scent wouldn't fool anyone.

Jack knew all about the synthetic scents on the market. Hell, Hyperion had branded it. Alpha scents, beta scents that evened everything out; synthetic omega heat-mimicking scents. _Those_ were illegal for good reason, but they weren't hard to find. 

He didn't like the sprays and colognes on the market, but the omega ones he hated with a passion. Alphas used those to get close to other omegas, their scent mimicking an omega about to go into heat. Jack hated the way that smell made him feel. The urge to comfort, to reassure, to put the prone-omega's needs all above his own. Embrace. Comfort. Cuddle. Help them in any way possible. Make it bearable.

Those instincts made him disgusted and physically sick with himself. A few alphas that had tried the trick when he was a younger man had met their ends at his hands for trying to manipulate him. Back when he was still a tool of his instincts and emotions, cuddling up to an alpha only realizing too late that they weren't a threatless omega in distress. _Using_ him. Manipulating him. He could tell the subtleties of omega-mimickers mixed with alpha scent very well now; it was obvious if you knew what to scent for.

Of course there were other things omegas had to worry about as well; more shit that he didn't have time for. Aside from being tricked by scent, there were drugs that made omegas fall into a false heat. Originally pharmaceutical in origin- essentially viagra for aging omegas- the drugs were used illegally by alphas looking for an enthusiastic time with an unwitting omega. Slip them the stuff, and they were begging to be fucked by the first alpha they could get their hands on.

Helios had some of the strictest regulations and punishments around where endotypical product abuse was concerned. Jack personally dealt with offenders in the most violent of ways, and unlike most of the stranglings he dealt out, those never left a satisfying taste in his mouth.

But if those highly-paid overpriced eggheads in bioscience did what they were being paid for, then he'd be well on his way out of omega-hell and get the respect he deserved as the self-made King of Hyperion; respect he _wouldn't_ have to kill for.

\--

There was a problem in Jack's office that needed Rhys' special attention. Or more specifically, that was Jack's go-to code for "I need some serious dick and I need it _now._ "

Rhys was glad for the excuse to get out of the boring meeting he was in, listening to another jackass alpha in his department trying to throw his weight around with a project he wanted a team on. The fact that no volunteers had perked up was only one of the problems with his pitch. 

Frankly, Rhys didn't think their coffee machines needed an upgrade at all. They didn't need to greet them, or require the unnecessary programming to thumbprint the dispensers for accountability to find out who'd been leaving old grounds in the filter. It was annoying, but there was no point putting more annoyance on top of that out of spite. 

Rhys eagerly left the meeting and made his way to Jack's office with a bit of a spring in his step. The omega had been very busy recently, and he hadn't gotten to see much of him this week outside of impromptu fucks in his office- those of which Rhys was more than happy to provide considering the opposition of not seeing him at all. 

He entered Jack's office to yelling; the omega in the middle of a tirade. The unfortunate beta Jack was yelling at was fidgeting as he was offering the CEO excuses the man wasn't happy about. 

It wasn't completely unusual, but it was unexpected. Rhys'd thought to find the omega with a cocky grin and perhaps his pants down waiting in his seat and demanding Rhys' very thorough attentions. Not aggravatedly yelling at a man trying to pull answers from his ass. Jack was all scowls as he stalked back and forth, turning his attention back as the beta stuttered stupidly. 

"And why hasn't any progress been made from four weeks ago?! The beta-testing stage is _over_. Proceed to stage three already."

"S-sir the test subjects h-haven't exactly--"

"They volunteered didn't they? They're being compensated!"

"It's just that their feedback for even stage _one_ was a bit--"

Rhys patiently waited off to the side while Jack was demanding results, ignoring him for the moment. It wasn't new for the alpha, and he knew not to interrupt Jack while in the middle of yelling at someone for their incompetence. Just let the CEO do his thing and wait until he was needed. He could do that quite well. 

The CEO gave the beta before him an ultimatum. "I want this stuff tested _today_. You've _got_ the advanced serums. I expect results."

"Sir please, it's too radical--"

"It worked on the skags!"

"There's too many factors for humans. They're having issues with stage one the skags never even had. The volunteers are.... _concerned_."

Jack growled at him. "I want results and you've been given more than enough time. Just pick someone and _test it._ And if that fails, test it again."

"Sir it's....its just _unnatural_." The beta gave a side glance to the alpha in the room. "If you could just give us more time." Rhys lifted a perplexed brow (surely he wasn't being addressed) while Jack snarled, the beta's head whipping back to the enraged omega.

"Don't look to _him_. Why would you look at him?!"

Jack pulled out the gun he kept strapped to his thigh and aimed at the man's head.

The beta stuttered before Jack changed his aim and shot him in the arm. It wasn't something Rhys had planned on seeing today but he supposed it was unavoidable. For how aggravated Jack was, the man should be grateful it wasn't a mortal wound. It wouldn't be if he got the blood taken care of quick enough.

"Now get out!" Jack snarled. 

The man was surprisingly suppressing his obvious need to scream, more whined sobs of pain as he dealt with the wound in realization that he wasn't dead. He moved quickly in fear of the CEO and didn't spare a look at the alpha as he passed.

Rhys waited til the man was gone, leaving a bloody trail behind him, to approach Jack. The older man's mood was volatile and Rhys could feel the anger rolling off him in waves. He approached cautiously. Of all the things the beta could have said to Jack, not giving the man his due especially in front of someone else was just about the worst thing he could've done. 

"Jack-" The hand he was going to put on the CEO's shoulder was violently shunted off as Jack turned on him, strapping his gun angrily back to his thigh and reveling in the burn.

"I don't need _you_ or anyone else second guessing me," Jack snarled at him.

Rhys opened his mouth but thought better of taking the bait, shutting it with a noisy exhale through his nose. "Jack, don't take it out on me."

Jack grabbed the front of Rhys' shirt with both hands, looked ready to bite him, but instead leaned his forehead to the alpha's chest, inhaling. Rhys tentatively brought his arms around the CEO, slowly stroking through his many layers of clothing in the hopes of soothing his anger. Jack was making angry noises in his throat as he breathed in Rhys' scent, and the alpha just stroked him calmly.

"Fucking idiots can't do the simple job they're hired for...should space the lot of them..."

"Anything I can help with?"

"Not unless you just got a biopharmeceutical specialization in the last five minutes, kitten...."

Rhys just snorted and rubbed his cheek against Jack's hair. "I'm surprised you didn't shoot him in the head," Rhys murmured, his cheek against the omega's head and inhaling the scent of his hair products. 

"I was going to....but these morons aren't easy to replace," Jack grumbled. "And I didn't want to deal with the extra large mess."

"Then he's lucky for the kindness," Rhys told him. Jack looked up at him suddenly, sharp and angry, but Rhys just smiled, quick to add, "Handsome Jack is _not_ known for being soft." The omega's angry expression melted into a wicked grin as he pressed his hips against Rhys.

"No, pumpkin, I'd say not," he agreed as he was half-hard against the younger man.

Rhys actually laughed. "That's a lame joke even for you, Jack."

"Then why are you smiling about it, idiot?"

Rhys just laughed at that, and brought his lips to the CEO's as Jack wrapped his arms around the alpha's neck, mood much improved. Rhys kissed and nipped at his lips, his hands grabbing handfuls of Jack's ass. 

"Mmm that's nice sweetheart."

Rhys smirked at him. "I believe you had a _coding issue_ you wanted me to look into?"

Jack broke off where he was worrying Rhys' neck with his teeth to look at the younger man with a grin. "Yeah. Some moron's gone and fucked with Helios' messaging subsystems. There's potential to hemorrhage some very sensitive information between departments and I could use an extra set of skilled hands."

"I....what?"

Jack laughed- and Rhys got the sense he was laughing at _him_ \- as he ground his hips against the younger man's tented pants. "Think I called you up from programming just to give the big boss a ride, hm?"

"Well....yeah, actually," Rhys told him with puzzlement, cheeks going a bit red. "You usually tell me you have something only I can help you with..."

"Oh shit that's too precious. Well let's do it _this_ way, princess." Jack's voice dropped an octave and it was really doing interesting things for Rhys' cock. "As much as I would _love_ to hang off your knot all afternoon, I do have to get this shit sorted ASAP, and we just don't have the time for that kind of thing, cupcake."

Rhys growled at him with that, hands clenching against Jack's ass harder and bringing the omega tight against his body. It only made Jack look insufferably smug, but he didn't care. He missed the other man.

The CEO gave the alpha a tug and moved him towards his big desk until Jack's ridiculous yellow chair was behind him. He made Rhys let go of him before he pushed him into that chair, and then climbed into his lap to straddle him with a grin.

"So, princess," he started as he stroked Rhys' chin with his thumb, "Why don't you make use of those pretty hands and jerk us off, hm?"

Rhys didn't need to be told twice. He was undoing Jack's zipper as quickly and carefully as possible, wanting his hands on the older man immediately. Jack stopped him just short of taking his cock out of his underwear which made Rhys make a noise of disappointment. Jack just grinned as he held the younger man's wrists. "I said we don't have time for you to _knot_ me, kitten. Not that we have to rush everything. Make it count, baby. It's been a rough day. I need a little TLC."

Rhys sighed as Jack released his wrists and the older man slowly went about undoing the alpha's own belt and fly in the manner he wanted. Rhys was grateful for release from the pressure, his erection allowed more freedom as it stood out proud against his underwear. But Jack didn't pause like he'd stopped Rhys, and removed the younger man's hot length as Rhys' hands moved to grip the CEO's ass.

Jack just grinned, his attention all on Rhys' erect length as he gave it a stroke with thumb and forefinger. "Baby, I ever tell you what a pretty dick you have?"

Rhys was breathing hard, his cock twitching in Jack's hand. Jack gave him a little stroke which made Rhys whine, and then looked at the alpha's face. 

"You know it's not statistically possible, right? For two gorgeous guys like us to exist in the same space? I mean you've got a pretty face, but damn baby I never expected you to have such a pretty cock too."

Rhys swallowed an undignified noise as Jack watched him with interested amusement on his face. The younger man was leaking precome at his words, cheeks hot. Jack's voice was full of genuine amusement. "Are you getting off on this, Rhysie?"

"Jack don't tease me," Rhys pleaded, his hips trying to thrust into Jack's hand but stilled by the older man's weight. His words were really doing it for the younger man, and Jack looked smug as hell. The CEO took his hand away and laughed at the look on the alpha's face.

"You're being rude." Jack looked pointedly down at his own neglected and entrapped erection, and Rhys eagerly removed the older man's length and took them both in hand, gently running his hand over them and leaning forward to kiss the CEO. 

Jack met his lips, but then snickered, leaned back, and reached into a drawer as Rhys held onto him. "That's real sweet and all sugar but let's speed things up." Rhys removed his hand from them as Jack squeezed some lube into it, the cold gel quickly picking up the younger man's body heat. He cupped his palm to spread it along his fingers before he retook them in hand. As the warm, slicked flesh slid over them, Jack groaned and dropped his forehead to Rhys' shoulder.

" _Yessss_ just like that."

Jack was moaning and gasping low and arching towards Rhys' hand, and it felt so so good, and the older man's sounds were arousing. But Rhys wanted just a bit more.

"Jack can-can I---?" Rhys _really_ wanted to get his mouth on the other man- hadn't had the chance all week. The weight of it, the taste of it. He wanted to bury his cock in him if he was being completely honest, but at the bare minimum he wanted to get his fingers in Jack's slick warmth, swallow him down to the root, make him come completely _apart._

"Can you _what_ , princess?" The omega looked at him with a visible flush to the sides of his mask, eyes hooded. When Rhys unconsciously licked his lips while looking at Jack's cock, trying to formulate the sentence for what he wanted, the CEO laughed and whispered as he kissed below Rhys' ear. "Do you want to blow me, precious?"

Warmth flooded his cheeks but not from embarrassment. He knew Jack would come undone around him if he could get his mouth on him. God he wanted to. He wanted to hear those noises and see him totally lose it. They hadn't had the chance for proper fucking all week but he lived for those sounds and expressions. He was nodding quickly and enthusiastically at the older man.

Jack climbed off of his lap and instead leaned against his desk with a shit-eating grin, facing the alpha sitting in his big chair. He stroked his cock towards the younger man, dripping precome while the CEO gave Rhys a heated look. 

Rhys was on his knees before the omega and trying to shimmy Jack's pants further down his legs. Yes he wanted to blow him. But that wasn't all he wanted. "C-can I...do you want-" He had his flesh hand down the crease of Jack's inner thigh, stroking with his thumb as he tried to form thoughts. "...Are you slick for me, love?"

Jack groaned, understanding what Rhys wanted, and helped him a leg free so the alpha could maneuver him. Jack laughed rather good-naturedly as Rhys pulled one shoe off in his eagerness to get to the CEO proper, but left the other one on. Rhys crowded him against the desk, urging him slightly back with hands at his hips and a growl on his lips.

Rhys was on him without warning, popping his cockhead into his mouth and gently stroking his thighs as Jack leaned back on his elbows with a groan of pleasure, watching him work under hooded eyes. Rhys was urging his legs apart as he worked him skillfully with his mouth, stroking over his inner thigh with his thumb. Jack threw his head back with muttered curse as Rhys took him to the hilt, humming in his throat, and he stroked his fingers over the omega's balls before coming to his slick hole, working one digit into him.

Jack was shivering in pleasure, his alpha on him, working him with unmasked gusto as he searched out his prostate and made the CEO howl. It was times like these he knew he'd picked out the perfect alpha for shit like this. Rhys was just....damn that pretty mouth and those perfect long dextrous fingers working inside of him. The younger man knew exactly what and how the CEO liked it and he looked so perfectly wrecked when he was doing it.

Jack gave him warning just before he came with hitched shouts and drawn out moans, and Rhys relaxed his throat as he swallowed the omega down. The orgasm rocked through the CEO as he rode the waves, feeling all the stress and agitation of the day ebb away with the pleasure. Rhys still worked his tongue over the older man, gently caressing Jack's hip with his metallic hand as he let the man's cock fall from his mouth. 

Jack was catching his breath, ready to return the favor-- more than ready, with the stupidly besotted look his alpha was giving him- but Rhys had already come onto the floor beneath the desk. Jack shakily laughed and threw his head back as the younger man got to his feet proper, tucking himself back into his pants to wrap arms around the omega, kissing him as the older man laid prone on the desk. 

Rhys stood after a few moments and spread himself out territorially in Jack's chair, a hand on Jack's urging the omega to him. He tugged the older man forward, grabbing the CEO to him, and cuddling him close while stroking the back of his neck. The older man might be short on time today, but he never balked at a little post-coital cuddling, and that was something Rhys wanted almost as badly as everything else.

"Is that sufficient, handsome?" Rhys asked with a smile.

Jack chuckled. "For now. Until I can get you home proper." He sat in Rhys' lap for a while longer, allowing the alpha's scent and warmth to relax him a few moments, then hopped up to fix his pants. "Alright pumpkin, fun time's over. Let's hope those pretty hands are also good at sorting out code. It's a nice fuckup we've got here."

The fuckup in question was sensitive info being leaked and it looked like the issue was affecting all departments of Helios, from the restaurants to R&D. Jack suspected sabotage, but wasn't too worried as, as brilliant as he was, it was nothing he couldn't have fixed and taken care of in a day and a half at most. It was his general annoyance at the issue that had resulted in bringing Rhys into it. 

That and wanting a little midday stress relief from his hot young boyfriend.

The alpha helped Jack look into the problem for a few hours, got an invitation to come over after Jack got the problem sorted out, and then went about his day after a hard kiss and a smack on the ass. 

He couldn't have known about the disaster brewing in Jack's office, or how it would suck him in for the next three days solid.

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't quite the "stuff Jack has had to go through as an omega" prompt, but I did want to explore that a bit in here and it seemed to work with my earlier drafted stuff. 
> 
> I want to go a little on a posting frenzy this weekend but Fallout 4 has sort of sucked my soul out so we'll see how much I get accomplished BAHHAHA!!
> 
> Give me a hey, ho xD http://purge-that-urge-rhackathon.tumblr.com


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing poor Jack as so fuxking uncomfortable this chapter now has ME totally uncomfortable in commiseration D: poor Jack D: let Rhysie try to make it better.

When Rhys sent Jack a message later that same day asking if he preferred Rhys pick up a bottle of wine or something on the way to his tonight, he didn't receive a reply. He'd assumed Jack was just busy with the coding issue still, and didn't worry about it further. When a few hours had passed and it was time to leave and still no reply, he asked if they should reschedule. He got a garbled message in reply. 

He sighed. The issue must have been bigger than he'd understood. If the code causing the leaks was fucking up his communications, he figured that Jack probably wouldn't object to his presence if he could make himself useful. Knowing the CEO, he'd probably forgone eating or any plans thereof to fix the problem. 

So Rhys messaged Vaughn to go home without him, grabbed some quick food as it was obvious they were going to be working too late to have a nice dinner like Jack had wanted, and made his way up to the CEO's office. He let himself in with his personalized code, and he immediately realized that Jack's garbled message had absolutely nothing to do with his comm or the subsystems or any mistakes therein.

Rhys was jolted by the scent that hit him, involuntarily cursed as it took his breath away and made his stomach flip flop. He knew that scent well; knew it intimately by now. He also knew this wasn't supposed to happen for some weeks at least. Fuck it was unexpected, and damn it was strong.

He dropped his stuff by the door and searched the office with his eyes. His voice was clipped, sharp, and expectant of immediate reply in concern as he caught sight of Jack's shoes behind his desk. "Jack?"

He didn't get an answer, and he did a jaunt over to the CEO's desk with arousal and concern suddenly flooding his brain.

Rhys found him laying on the cool floor on his back staring at the ceiling. He was breathing hard, strands of hair sticking to flushed skin, cock out hard against his belly. His clothes were a mess and the floor had stains all over like he'd been at himself for a while. He didn't seem to notice Rhys at all, didn't move aside from seemingly catching his breath.

Rhys watched as Jack's nostrils flared and suddenly Jack's eyes swiveled over to him. He blinked up at the younger man, and Rhys crouched down next to him as Jack weakly reached for him, murmuring what sounded like his name.

So it hadn't been an issue with the comms; Jack was too out of it to type. Well shit. He was fine a few hours before. But he reeked of heat pheromones, strong like Rhys only experienced after they'd already been into it for a few days. The younger man's body was already fully on board with it even if his brain was confused. This didn't make any sense.

It had never come on like this before. And Jack's heat wasn't due for weeks-- the CEO liked to prepare for Rhys' cohabitation for all the fucking- the omega kept the alpha in the loop concerning that bit of his biology. He also rather liked when Rhys would start giving him sly looks and impatient glances when his heat was nearing. That this should happen was nothing if outside of the ordinary.

"Jack." Rhys stroked his face, very hot to the touch, alarmingly-so. It had been hours since he'd messaged Jack and a long while before he had gotten the garbled reply. How long had he been laying here in this state? Rhys worried. "You alright? This isn't.... What should I do?"

"Fuck me." His voice was full of desperation, and the tone resonated in Rhys. "God just fuck me hard please fuck me.... fuck me," he repeated lowly.

Rhys' dick was already awaiting that obvious measure but his brain noted that the other man looked exhausted, thirsty. He was running an insane fever and his eyes were glazed over as he watched the alpha. Rhys needed to give him water and cool him down immediately.

"Strip, love."

Jack tried, really, but his coordination was shot to hell and the man frankly had too many layers to attack on his own. Rhys helped as the omega got tangled in his own shirt and released a pitiful whine.

Rhys worried. He'd had the CEO through more than a few heats now. And yeah Jack certainly got out of it and the heats sometimes made him literally weak with want, but this was different. So much different. If his heat was going to surprise him then Rhys would have surely scented it earlier. Especially with how hard it was hitting him now. He'd never seen Jack like this right off the bat before. The older man desperately needed relief.

He quickly left as Jack was shrugging his pants off to retrieve a damp towel and water for the other man from the sequestered office kitchenette- two brimming glasses- and he didn't make Jack drink them so much as the omega downed them with greedy gusto. He was _parched._ If Rhys had any doubts as to how much hotter than usual Jack was, then that right there was a tell.

Rhys stripped while the CEO drank, and no sooner was he nude than Jack was on him, the heat of his body sweltering to the alpha. Jack rubbed himself all over Rhys, ground their hips together as he tried to mount him, mouthing kisses all over the alpha's skin and rutting against him.

The younger man noticed a mark on Jack's arm. It was an angry purplish bruise in his elbow, and from it, dark, angry lines that dissipated into flesh color far down his forearm and up his bicep. It looked nasty, painful, and horribly unnatural.

"Jack, what happened here?" He just got agitated murmurs in response as the omega impatiently moved against him. " _Jack_."

"Nothing...it's not.... _fuck me,_ Rhysie. Fuck me."

Rhys tried to make Jack look at him, the CEO's expression glazed over as his eyes met the younger man's, tried to kiss him. Rhys had his hand on Jack's bicep, looking from the bruise to his eyes and back to the bruise. "Jack, are you _alright_?" 

Jack made what Rhys would _definitely_ call a pouting noise, before whining for the younger man to fuck him while Rhys' brain whirred. He gave the man's arm another hard look. Jack didn't have a drug habit as far as he knew, and there was no wildlife to speak of on Helios, aside from lab animals. He didn't know what to make of it.

"Jack...Jack, love, you're boiling up." His eyes were glassy as he regarded Rhys, brow furrowed, a few strands of hair sticking to his sweaty forehead. The words weren't quite penetrating his mind. Rhys got him on his back easily enough, and he ran the cool cloth he'd retrieved over Jack's front as the omega shied away from it. "Jack, stay still."

" _Fuck_ please, please," he whined, and it was a truly pained sound. Rhys wiped at his face, contemplating the wisdom in trying to have Jack remove his mask at work. It would seriously help in cooling him down if experience has taught him anything. The omega must have sensed what he wanted as the younger man's thumb brushed a clasp, and Jack started pawing at the metal sloppily. 

Rhys took his hand and kissed his fingers, stopping him before he might inadvertently hurt himself. "Is it okay? You want it off?" 

The kisses and touches had stopped. That's all that registered with Jack's lust-fogged brain as he squirmed beneath Rhys again. He whined deep in his throat, horribly uncomfortable.

"Can I remove it, sweet thing? Is it okay?"

Jack was just nodding and nodding, and Rhys carefully, gently undid the clasps like Jack had shown him. The skin under the mask was flushed and sweaty, and Rhys ran the damp cloth gently over his face while Jack pushed up into the sensation in pleasure.

"Rhysie....Rhysie, fuck me?"

"Okay, okay. I've got you, okay."

It was clear Jack wasn't going to be manageable unless he got the man off, that much was certain. There was no need for foreplay. Rhys gasped as he sank into the omega, so very hot and dripping slick down his thighs. He was never this slick when the heat first started. God this was just too soon.

Jack shuddered bodily in full pleasure, arching up and grabbing the younger man. The alpha gave a few short thrusts before setting a fast and hard rhythm as Jack urged him on with cries of _more more_. Rhys was bent over him, kissing deeply as he thrust and ground his hips, gripping a thigh and pinching at a nipple as Jack was crying out in pleasure. 

Rhys could feel the older man's body beginning to convulse, and wrapped his flesh hand around Jack's cock to quickly jerk him off. The alpha sped up in his thrusts as the CEO's groans and gasps echoed in the office, and Rhys' own moans of pleasure joined them as he spilled into the older man. His knot swelled inside the omega, and Jack just made happy sighs, eyes closed as he caught his breath. He was still hard between them, but for the moment he seemed alright.

Hanging off his knot, Jack just sighed, capable once more of speech to some degree. Though Rhys wouldn't call it too coherent as he tried to get elaboration on things. This just wasn't like him.

"It's early," Rhys noted as he stroked the older man's face with concern, wanting information.

"Mmm."

"Like four weeks at least. You're really hot, love."

"Mm."

Rhys stroked the bruise at Jack's arm, thinking. "Should I call a doctor?"

Jack growled in response and moved beneath him. Rhys' knot tugged at his hole in his squirming and Jack sighed before relaxing against the cool floor.

"Should I get you home, handsome?"

The CEO just tried to bury his face into Rhys' skin in answer. It didn't help his cause.

"You need rest, Jack. Fluids. Cold shower too."

" _No_!" Jack's eyes opened, looking at Rhys with alarm, eyes wild. "....I... Gotta deal with the... the sabotage.... can't ....fuck Rhysie, why am I so hot?"

Rhys kissed his face and pet him worriedly, swabbing his forehead with the same damp towelette from before. It seemed to help, and for that Rhys was infinitely grateful. This so was not normal. Jack was never this hot on a first day, and Rhys knew it wasn't just his imagination since Jack commented on it as well. It wasn't right.

"I should get you home, love. You shouldn't be here. Let's get home, okay?"

"No! No! The....All the leaks....I can't...."

"You're _too hot_ , Jack. This isn't okay. I'm worried about you, love."

" _No_."

Rhys huffed, trying his best to think of a course of action. He pet the omega beneath him as Jack cuddled up into him a bit delirious. Rhys nosed at the omega's throat as he tried to narrow down what could have possibly brought this on so severely, and what he could do. 

He knew about drugs called 'heat mimickers' that could bring on what seemed like a heat as quick as this one had hit Jack. Brushing over the bruise on his arm, Rhys thought it would fit the bill. But one, he didn't think Jack would willingly use those on himself and two, he didn't think they were injectable anyways. He wondered if the older man had been slipped something then. He didn't know if it would affect his scent or not in the process- he positively _reeked_ of his heat scent- but he knew this wasn't usual for Jack. That alone was a huge tipoff.

"Did you eat anything weird today? Any....um ...drugs?" 

He got an unimpressed huff in response. Well, that was definitely more Jack-like. And it didn't hurt to ask proper, though Jack wasn't making it easy for straight answers.

"Jack, love, answer me. Anything out of the ordinary happen today? Anything at all?" The annoyed noise he received in response more or less satisfied him, but there was still that unaccounted for bruise. He eyed Jack's arm again with worry. 

"Did something sting you?" He knew he was grasping at straws. His thumb brushed over the mark as Jack opened his eyes to frown at the younger man. Rhys frowned right back decisively. "I'm calling a doctor, Jack."

_That_ got through to the older man. 

"No. _No one.... No_."

"Jack this isn't right. Who is your doctor?"

"....I don't....its.... don't... feel right...."

" _Jack_. Please. Please." Rhys was stroking his face, the older man meeting his eyes; blue and green were nearly black as his pupils were blown out in heavy lust. It worried Rhys. Scared him. Even if the drive for him to fuck the omega silly was there, fear was a very real competitor. "Who is your doctor, sweet thing? Please?"

"No it's....no.... _Rhysie_..." 

The way Jack said those two syllables struck something hard inside Rhys' chest. It wasn't argumentative, it wasn't wanton, and it wasn't supplication. He might as well have said 'help'. Jack was _not_ well. That was not a tone Rhys heard even rarely. The man was suffering with heat. 

Rhys' knot deflated and he was able to slip out of the older man as Jack cried out at the loss. The omega was still hard as well. Rhys got up again, much to Jack's laments and whines, to refill the water and grab another towelette to try to cool him off. Jack was all but whimpering to himself in a curled ball, and he only uncurled from himself when Rhys laid a hand on him and tried to get him to drink more, or at the very least to dab at his face and clean him up a bit.

Jack was trying to climb over him, mouthing at his skin as he looped arms around the lanky alpha's shoulders, his erection hot against Rhys' hip. He felt Jack's tongue licking a stripe up his neck, and he tried to ignore the coil of arousal in his belly as he soothed the other man.

Rhys pet him, but didn't go down as the CEO was trying to push, causing the omega to make a noise of distress. The alpha kissed all about his face as he held him in concern, weighing his options. Getting Jack to a doctor far outweighed his worry of possibly being airlocked if he didn't immediately fuck the heat-delirious CEO. This was out of his field of knowledge. "We _should_ call a doctor, Jack."

"No... _no no no_."

"Something's wrong, love. You're sick. You're too hot."

" _No._ I'm not... it's the....I'm... chem department...." Jack got out, and nibbled at any and all skin he could reach, mind quickly derailed. "Fuck me _please_."

Rhys was turning the CEO to his back as he kissed him while trying to make sense of Jack's words. He put two and two together and looked down at the older man in horror. "Jack, the beta from today.... Did you inject yourself with something?!"

Jack just nodded and nodded and arched his body up towards Rhys with a whine. The younger man's worry increased ten-fold, eyes wide. That beta hadn't wanted to do human trials on whatever Jack was pressuring him for. And apparently the older man had taken it upon himself. Why why why? What in the hell could possibly be worth this?

"What in the hell did you do to yourself? What was it Jack?"

"Rhysie..." Jack sobbed his name as he pulled at the younger man, writhed underneath him and mewled his name in tones Rhys normally never heard. The alpha was torn between getting answers and fucking him right through the foundation with those tones. Jack was absolutely desperate for him, and under any other circumstances, Rhys would be fucking him against every possible surface he could find.

"Love, sweetheart, what did you _do_?" He brushed his thumb over the bruise again, voice desperate. This wasn't something a doctor could fix if it was experimental. He wasn't sure who he could call now. "Please tell me. Please."

"Alpha...a-alpha....mmmmm." Jack grabbed at Rhys with his muttered words as thought left him, wanting the alpha in him already and rolling his hips towards the younger man's erection.

Rhys' brain was being flooded with the intense need to mate the other man again, and he gave in as Jack refused to answer him anymore, sinking back into him as Jack sighed and started moving his hips against the alpha with impatience. Jack wouldn't give him anything else, not when his mind was so one-track. But as Rhys whispered his name and orgasm took the CEO, he measurably calmed down. He was squirming slightly as Rhys' knot stretched him yet again, but the look on his face was one of satisfaction. 

He was _still_ hard, something which Rhys couldn't believe, but he wasn't tugging at himself or further squirming. Rhys added this to the list of things that were possibly very wrong, and he tried to comfort the older man as best he could.

With the need to come out of the way, Rhys pet the blissed out CEO beneath him and kissed him gently. The older man just smiled and sighed and closed his eyes with a hum. It was easier to think and sort through Jack's rambling at the moment; wonder just what in the hell from the chem department Jack had shot himself up with. Maybe he could figure something out.

Rhys knew the CEO resented being an omega, both from the spoken and unspoken things between them- and he knew of the secret research departments on Helios dealing with that. Jack had done something to himself involving alpha hormones, that much seemed clear. He'd never heard of anyone having this kind of reaction though; and if it was experimental, then he didn't know exactly to what end. Injecting himself wouldn't make him smell like an alpha. What had he done?

"Jack. Jack, love, look at me. We should call _someone. What_ exactly did you do to yourself, handsome? _Please_."

"Something the..... Pharmaceuticals was working on a.... thing... change me, change.... alpha...scent.... fuck I'm so hot...."

The younger man placed the wet towelette back on Jack's forehead and worriedly watched the CEO. Had they come up with something to actually change the way someone smelled? But Jack still smelled like himself. All omega, all Jack. 

It sounded way too dangerous. Hell, even using the sprays and scents on the market wasn't exactly good for you, let alone the idiots who bought into dosing themselves with different hormones regularly to change their scent. They only ended up fucking up their systems and needing to go on supplements to fix the damage. Rhys heard lots on that subject from Vaughn.

Rhys knew about secret departments on Helios whose sole dedicated purpose was to find ways to change one's endotype genetically. He wasn't supposed to know about it, not technically, but he knew that if Jack didn't want him to know of it's existence, then he wouldn't. It was officially an unlabeled subdepartment of pharmaceuticals. And their work was highly classified. Was Jack trying to make himself a bonafide alpha? That sounded insane.

The idea of Jack's huge ego and narcissism coupled with an alpha's natural aggression and posturing was frightening. Handsome Jack the omega was a frightening man to behold. To imagine the man fueled by hormones that would only bolster those behaviors... _and_ if he'd had coffee that day.... Rhys was sure Jack could take over the whole universe before breakfast.

But to think the man was seriously trying to change himself, looking for a 'cure' to something that didn't need curing..... Well, Rhys didn't want to think too hard on what kind of self-loathing he must actually have to experiment on himself like this. It made him hurt for the other man. Jack didn't need to do any of that shit, and he could crush anyone that told him otherwise just the way he was.

And while Rhys didn't know shit about that field of science anyways, he knew that changing one's endotype was right up there with trying to become a mermaid or some shit. Whatever Jack had done to himself, it wasn't good, in all likelihood wasn't safe, and it was responsible for his current miserable state. 

Rhys was able to cool him down with further wet towel compresses, and knotted him thrice more in the following hours before the older man _finally, thankfully_ went soft and succumbed to exhausted sleep. The relief that went through him was palpable. He pet Jack's hair, kissed his face and kept him cupped against his chest as they still lay on the cool floor before the window overlooking Elpis. 

This wasn't like any of his other heats. About as far from it that it could be. And what a shit time to happen. Whatever Jack had injected was fucking him over majorly. Rhys almost didn't recognize the man he had in his arms. It was upsetting, and God he just wanted to help.

He wanted to take Jack home and take proper care of him. Jack wasn't coherent but he was adamant about the security issues that kept him in the office. It seemed like the only thing stuck in his head. If Rhys could figure out the issue and convince Jack to go home, then there'd _be_ no issue, and the man could get rest.

He wasn't as smart as Jack, and didn't delude himself into thinking that he was. But the CEO was in no state of mind to code a toaster let alone handle sensitive security issues. Rhys knew he could help with the problem since he'd given a hand earlier that day, but it would go slower than if Jack was handling it alone.

At the very least, he understood the nature of the issue, and that was enough to start off of.

In the mean time, unknotted and trying to make the best of a bad situation, Rhys set about to cleaning Jack up and making the unresponsive man comfortable on the office couch while he placed an urgent call to Vaughn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I freakin swear if this reads strange or repetitive, like I don't know why, but I SWEAR I've made the same edits/rewrites in my notepad before posting this, go to do a read through to check it all, and that shit ain't there or its how it was pre-change.
> 
> Insanity is infectious or something D: also I probably shouldn't be posting stuff right before I get in bed haha
> 
> Come and purge your bordertrash urges darlings xD http://purge-that-urge-rhackathon.tumblr.com


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vaughn saves the day with bags of goodies!! And then has a near-breakdown cuz, well, Jack. :3 LOLOL

Rhys had them securely locked down in Jack's big office, waiting for Vaughn to show up and pulling pants back on so at least he'd have some semblance of decency. Not that Vaughn hadn't seen it all already. 

Jack, on the other hand, couldn't be coerced to put anything back on and only gave Rhys sleepy, dirty looks when he'd attempted to rouse him. The CEO was laying on Rhys' poor excuse for bedding on the large office couch. But it wasn't too bad; comfortable at least. He'd rustled up a thin blanket he knew about and laid it over the leather; Jack sometimes slept in the office if he was working on something big, and he was grateful for that now. 

He'd laid that down and then draped the man himself on top of it. The back of the couch folded down too, which he was infinitely grateful for. When Jack muttered and tried to pull Rhys to him, the both of them fit quite comfortably, which was also good. They'd be here for some time. 

He cuddled the CEO while he waited, and Jack buried his face into the space between Rhys' skin and the couch.

Rhys'd given Vaughn a few warnings before the other man got there. One, not to get too close. Rhys wasn't sure what Jack might do-- what _he_ might do even- so he told his friend to keep his distance. Jack had gotten jealously violent the last time he'd been exposed to Vaughn's oncoming-heat scent, and while Rhys understood that it didn't necessarily work the same way on the flip side, he wanted to be prepared. And two, he swore Vaughn to secrecy about whatever he might see or hear when he got there. Jack was out of it, and it wasn't a sight many people ever got to see.

Jack didn't give a shit about nudity or exhibition (and they had recordings they'd made that Jack liked to send to Rhys' work computer just to mess with him in the middle of the day to prove it), but Jack was vulnerable here; not at all himself. _And_ they'd removed his mask. Rhys figured it was safe enough if he engaged Vaughn at the door and left the CEO safe on the couch. Jack was asleep on his belly and totally out of it. Vaughn shouldn't see anything that Jack would disapprove of. He didn't want to violate the older man's privacy that way. 

Vaughn arrived less than an hour later. He had Rhys' old rucksack fit to burst with stuff he'd picked out with the knowledge Rhys had given him of the situation. Vaughn was the only one he could trust with that, and as an omega himself, the other man had an insider's perspective as to what was going on. Rhys hadn't needed to be super detailed about necessary items.

Rhys cautiously let Vaughn into the office, not wanting to leave the CEO for even a moment to go outside for Vaughn, but also not wanting to longer with everything unlocked and vulnerable in the threshold even for a quick exchange so to speak. He locked them all back in with his echoeye after the other omega was within the office. 

They stood there as Vaughn's hand went to his mouth, covering half his face. So he could smell Jack, too. Rhys bit his lower lip and gave Vaughn a sort of helpless shrug, and thanked his friend for coming up here so late after work hours. He tried to speak in hushed tones so as not to disturb Jack.

The presence of the other omega barely went noticed by Jack at all, though Rhys didn't expect that he'd rouse, nor expose his face to Vaughn. He didn't know if it was an accident, if he simply didn't care, or if in this heat frenzy he forgot, but the older man gave the other omega an eyeful. 

Fuck.

The CEO looked up from where he was belly-down on the couch, made long eye contact with Vaughn, and sniffed the air. With another look he flopped back down without a care as to the other omega's presence, as if he wasn't even there. Another omega wasn't a threat to him, and he was too exhausted for it to bother him. Rhys was nearby, it was fine. He let sleep take him back. 

Rhys turned back to his friend and sheepishly scratched his neck as Vaughn gave the CEO a long look from where they stood, and handed the bag off to the alpha without a word. 

"Uh...if you could maybe forget you saw...uh, that... I think that would be best," Rhys told him. He gave another look back at the older man and gave a nervous laugh. "Personal-safety-wise, I mean."

Vaughn was nodding, still not looking at Rhys. He seemed nervous, edgy, and he maybe took one step too close than Rhys totally liked. The taller man apologized at the low growl he gave his friend, cheeks flaring in embarrassment, but Vaughn just shook his head with hands up, biting his lip in apology as he backed up.

Rhys couldn't help it. He was overbearingly protective of the CEO omega, even if this was just Vaughn, his best friend, and he was only another omega. He thought all of that had less to do with his endotype and more with how he knew how uncomfortable Jack was with others being around him in this state. Although the CEO didn't give two shits about Vaughn being there. The other omega couldn't take his eyes off the older man, but it wasn't for the reasons Rhys thought.

"Rhys, bro, I....can I do anything?" Vaughn's eyes left Jack to look up at his friend. He couldn't keep the eye contact for long before he was looking back at Jack, twitching where he stood. He looked upset.

"I'm sure I've got everything perfect right here, bro," the alpha told him with a smile at the bag in his hand. But Vaughn wasn't even paying attention to him. Rhys was observing him with some puzzlement, looking behind him at Jack and then back to Vaughn.

The omega had a hand at his chin, half-covering his mouth. Several false starts to say something but then he just put his hand over his lips. He gave Rhys an almost impatient look. "I-I mean I just.... _Does he need anything_?"

Vaughn looked like he was in pain, standing far away but attention never shifting from Jack; incredibly focused, obvious self-restraint. Rhys never saw him look like that. Vaughn was scared of Jack if anything, intimidated as hell even when Rhys tried to convince him otherwise, but right now he looked like he wanted nothing more than to go to the CEO. It made Rhys a little on edge, but this was _Vaughn_ , he had to remind himself. His best friend in the entire world, and an omega to boot. There was nothing to worry about from him. Vaughn wasn't going to try to do anything to Jack. He wasn't a threat.

Vaughn was fidgeting where he stood, and it took Rhys' hand on his shoulder to get his attention back. "Hey. _Hey_ , you alright?"

Vaughn gave him a suffering look from behind his glasses. "You can't smell his distress?"

Rhys gave him a concerned, confused look, and looked back at Jack. "Well I know he probably doesn't want to be here, and we have that security issue I was telling you about and he is worried about that even still but..."

"I- _how can you not smell it, Rhys_?"

The alpha looked between the omega in front of him and the one behind him passed out on the couch. Vaughn's eyes were watery, face frowning in commiseration. Omegas were extra sensitive to others in heat. That was something Rhys knew about intimately, and something Jack had reacted rather negatively to in the past. But the open concern on Vaughn's face was tangible. He wanted to comfort Jack so badly it hurt. It was far removed from how Jack had reacted in the past.

"He...just smells like he normally does during a heat," Rhys provided, clenching Vaughn's shoulder and trying to soothe him. "Stronger than normal, but..."

"But I mean, under that?" Vaughn asked, his fidgeting infecting Rhys as the alpha moved his weight from one foot to the other. "I can tell he's heated but it's just...." Vaughn was twitchy, aggravated; his voice cracked as he met Rhys' eyes. "It hurts."

Rhys stopped Vaughn from getting any closer as the omega tried to look more around him. He kneaded his shoulder with his hand where he was touching the shorter man, and tried to get Vaughn's attention with a soft _hey_. Instead of a hurt look at the alpha's impeding, Vaughn looked in sympathetic pain and worry, his eyes never leaving Jack while he spoke to Rhys, grabbing the hand the alpha had on his shoulder in both of his own. "Rhys I... Please, don't leave him. Sit down with him. He....please bro take care of him." Vaughn was unconsciously kneading Rhys' hand with his fingers while he looked at Jack. If his voice hitched, they both ignored it. 

Vaughn, for all he felt about Jack, wanted to cuddle the older man. Wanted to pet him and help him and somehow make things better in any way he could for the terrifying CEO. He didn't smell like he was okay. He smelled the very opposite of okay. It was crying out to everything inside of him for help and he desperately wanted to soothe the older omega. It wasn't right. It wasn't right, he needed help, it wasn't right.

"I....his scent....makes me want to cry.... Can't I....can't I help?"

This was decidedly odd. Odd coming from Vaughn and odd about Jack. Rhys knew the omega's nose was better than his, and he also knew they could scent heats on one another to distraction but shit, he didn't know if this was a normal reaction to what could be an omega at the peak of a heat, or if it was because of whatever Jack had injected himself with to screw with his endotype. Rhys couldn't scent anything the least bit off, though he had to agree with the urge to soothe and comfort the older man. Vaughn wanted to help the other omega. The urge was driving through him and it was physically painful for him not to listen to his instincts.

Rhys gave Vaughn little appreciative touches, and asked him to spend the night with Yvette. He hugged Vaughn tight, thanked him, and promised he'd take care of the CEO. Vaughn nodded and took his leave, though very unwillingly, shooting concerned looks at Jack the whole time while Rhys ushered him out. The alpha watched him go with concern prickling at him, and then locked down the office once more.

Rhys grabbed up the bag Vaughn had packed and carefully unzipped it as he thought to himself. He didn't know what an omega in mid-heat might smell like to another omega, though he knew it was at the basest sense uncomfortable. He wondered if Vaughn's reaction and Jack's scent was normal, or if it was different because of the swiftness that the heat was burning Jack up. Vaughn had looked distressed as hell, and if this kind of behavior was normal, then it explained a lot about the way Jack had reacted when confronted with Vaughn's scent what seemed like ages ago. Jack didn't like selfless kindness. It was too vulnerable.

" _Rhys_?"

Jack's raspy voice jolted him from his musings, and he was at the older man's side immediately. The omega was grabbing at him weakly while Rhys leaned over him to cup his face. God he was burning up. He pushed a glass of water he'd had at the side of the couch into the older man's hands and forced him to drink. 

"Jack, that's it. I'm calling a doctor."

"Nooo," the older man fought.

"You're too hot. Much too hot, sweet thing. Let me help you."

Jack wrapped arms around Rhys and pulled him down to his chest in what could only be called a defiant cuddle. He was rubbing his face against the younger man's, holding him at the back of the head and his lower back. He kept repeating _Rhysie_ over and over. Jack was nuzzling him like an overstuffed teddy bear.

Rhys kissed his neck, allowed Jack to tug at him and have his way until the omega surrendered himself to Rhys' own touches and kisses, his own control. Jack didn't fight as Rhys was pulling him up from the couch; didn't realize he should.

"Come on. Come with me, love. We're having a little cool down.

In the kitchenette off the office there was an attached cubicle toilet and a shower unit Jack sometimes used to get the viscera out of his hair after dealing with some hapless morons. It wasn't exactly large, but it was clean and serviceable. It would have to do to bring down his temperature.

Rhys was more or less dragging the bulkier omega next to him. Jack was whining, hot and trying to nuzzle at Rhys' ribs. The alpha had his arm around him and kept having to adjust his grip as Jack just wanted to slide down to the floor. "Come on, love. You've got it."

Jack just whined as he maneuvered them within the kitchenette and got the shower running. The older man was bodily slumped over Rhys, rutting against him as the alpha just bore his weight until the water became comfortable. He was already half in the shower, and decided he'd just leave his pants on as he got in with the CEO. Jack was going to topple the both of them over if he tried to undress at this rate.

"Shh, come here handsome. Let's get you cooled off, hmm?"

" _Rhysie_....please? _Fuck me_..."

Rhys took the omega in his arms and brought him flush against his chest. Jack was rutting up against him as Rhys dragged them both fully into the shower's luxurious spray, Jack's face in his neck nipping and kissing and ignoring the flow.

The alpha drew a hand down between them to take up the other man's cock in his hand. Jack sighed and canted his hips toward the grip as Rhys leisurely stroked him. He held the CEO up as the older man groaned, the sounds echoing off the tiles sending a thrill up Rhys' spine. 

He had him coming against Rhys' soaked pants, the older man gripping the alpha for leverage as his breathing was heavy in Rhys' ear. The younger man pet at him, the tightness of his own trapped erection uncomfortable. Jack was still hard, but once more subdued as he caught his breath. Rhys took the opportunity to turn the water colder-- something that greatly displeased the omega, but he was too weak to scramble out of the shower like he was trying. 

Jack was moaning at him in discomfort, trying to shy away from the stream but weak from orgasm as Rhys just held him trapped back to chest, leaning against the tile wall for support. He pet at him, bit at his shoulders, but it didn't work half as well to distract the omega from the discomfort as Rhys' hand returning to his cock did. As the younger man stroked and sucked kisses to Jack's flesh, the omega all but forgot about the annoyance of the cold hitting him, and thrust towards the younger man's hand.

" _R-Rhysie fuck...fuck me._ "

If he could get himself out of his pants without toppling the two of them, he would. But then, the shower itself was small, and he couldn't hold the heavier man up for the whole time it would take to de-knot him. He wanted nothing more to encase himself in Jack's heat.

Rhys ground his clothed erection into Jack's ass anyway.

"Can you be good for me, love?" he growled hotly as he ground into him, tugging on an earlobe with his teeth. "Can you come for me?" He was jerking him off quickly, stringing together a plan to try to get the omega off again if he could, dry them both, and then fuck the shit out of him if they could make it as far as the office couch. God he wanted the older man. Jack was just too out of it for Rhys to move him without _some_ conscious effort on the older man's part, and he hoped getting the necessary done wouldn't be impossible.

Jack was making little hitched, cried noises of pleasure as Rhys bit his skin, and the older man was shuddering as he came in spurts over Rhys' hand, the water washing it away. The alpha turned him and locked their lips, kissing him deeply while Jack weakly leaned against him. The omega was still whimpering as Rhys turned off the water.

It was an ordeal, getting the both of them dry without Jack falling over, or himself for that matter as he peeled off his soaked pants; it was too impeding to try to do anything in them. He had the CEO drink a good bit of water before leaving the area in favor of the couch, and Rhys was already between his legs the moment Jack sat.

"You need my knot, handsome?" Jack whined in response and tried to scoot towards him, but the alpha was over him kissing and licking and biting and generally winding up the much-cooled omega already. As he sunk into that dripping slick heat, he wasted no time fucking hard and fast as he groped at Jack's inner thighs and moaned at the feeling.

Jack was barely coherent as he'd come again between them, Rhys' knot stretching him and the younger man kissing along his throat. The older man was exhausted, and he was still hot. No longer hot enough to to fry an egg, but still hotter than Rhys was comfortable with. The shower had helped a great deal though.

"Jack," Rhys purred at him, "if you don't tell me the name of your doctor then I'm calling mine." He just got an aggravated murmur in response, the CEO wrapping tight arms around him that loosened as he fell asleep.

Rhys called Yvette instead.

"Yeah Vaughn's here. He's in the tub. He told me...well..."

"Should I call a doctor? Jack's just.... Is he in any danger?"

"Don't let him get too hot. Keep him hydrated. It was sudden you said?"

"Yeah he's not due for a few more weeks. And.... he's been harder longer..... And uh...he's just insanely hot." Rhys didn't want to reveal too much of the situation to his friends. As far as they knew, Handsome Jack was just going through a storm of a heat. He couldn't reveal that it was most likely the side effects of whatever experimental shit he'd injected himself with. "Like, omegas are supposed to calm down after knotting them through a heat, right? Especially after knotting them?" He knew this information, but needed Yvette's reassurance on the matter.

"Definitely. Cool off a bit too. How long?"

"A solid hour and a half at least..."

"Shit Rhys I think it's okay but I don't know. That's.... that's a long time."

"I want to call a doctor."

"Jack's doctor?"

"My doctor."

"Why not Jack's?"

"...I don't know Jack's doctor."

"Your doctor is going to know what omega you're talking about, sweetie." Yvette's laugh came through the line, and Rhys realized that, shit, she was right. Talk about privacy issues. "I'll call for you."

"Thank you Yvette. Please call me back as soon as possible. I'm...." _Worried. Scared. Sick. Terrified._ "Concerned."

"I've got this. Just keep him comfortable and hydrated. Call back if you need anything in the meantime, okay? You're gonna be there a while."

"Thanks. Oh and please take care of Vaughn, too. Seeing Jack...or smelling him..... It really messed him up."

"Don't worry, I've got this. Now take care of that man."

Rhys snorted at that. "That goes without saying. He's very important to Hyperion," he told her softly.

He could hear the smile in her voice over the line. "Try to get some rest."

"We will. Thanks again."

With that, they hung up and Rhys gave the omega under him a long look. He pet the older man before trying to resettle more comfortably so he wasn't crushing him. Jack made a few noises as the knot shifted within him and frowned in sleep. Rhys nuzzled his neck with a smirk and kissed him before settling down himself.

If this was only the beginning of this madness, then they'd need all the rest they could get.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying my damnedest to fight against seasonal affective disorder right now (at least I'm aware of it....snow is fun until this shit kicks in aaaaagh) so at the very least, I've got enough brain clarity to get some stuff down wooooot :3 
> 
> http://purge-that-urge-rhackathon.tumblr.com


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really REALLY didn't like this chapter (I cut it in half too) cuz holy shit pseudoscience that I got REALLY long winded with and reworded like twenty times and aaaaagh
> 
> I hope this chapter doesn't completely break your suspension of disbelief haha

Rhys needed to do something seriously nice for Vaughn after all this. The man freaking knew _everything_. And whether that was due to omega intuition or just Vaughn's own knowledge of Rhys, it didn't even matter. There was nothing he hadn't thought of inside the bag he'd left. 

He'd packed some decent food that could be warmed up or stored in the kitchenette; easy for an uncoordinated omega to handle and nothing difficult for Rhys to put together. The bag itself had been bursting because it was stuffed with the comforter off Rhys' own bed, and that just made the alpha laugh and also feel eternally grateful that Vaughn had went to the trouble. He didn't know how long they'd be stuck in the office, but some home comforts were nice. Jack had immediately cocooned himself in that-- in the scent of his alpha- and it seemed to help with his overall discomfort. 

There were also sweatpants, a few T-shirts, two loose sheets, and selections from Rhys' own sock collection. That amused him to no end. Vaughn had also included two toothbrushes, a few sports drinks, a candy bar, and other general items that Rhys hadn't even considered asking for. 

_Best bro in the entire freakin' universe._

Rhys chose a meal for Jack and put the rest away, wishing he didn't have to wake the older man, but he needed to keep up his strength at the rate he was burning up. Jack gobbled down every last bite, and he drank greedily from the sports drink Rhys had given him. The CEO hadn't gone to dinner or had anything since at least lunch, and with all the energy they'd been expending, he _should_ be properly ravenous. It was quite late.

And ravenous he was. After devouring the food, he'd devoured Rhys. The younger man was currently laying half on-top of the exhausted, dozing omega, his knot filling the older man bringing him peace. He was still extremely hot, but currently okay. Wiping him down with damp cloths was working rather well.

Rhys took the opportunity to have a quick look at the security issues from earlier. He was exhausted as well, but he hoped that, like magic, the issue might expose itself to him. He had his display open in his palm as he was laying on Jack, checking and reading the inputs. He wondered if any of his hacking programs could be repurposed to try to locate any inconsistencies or problems within the various department codes. He rubbed his eyes tiredly and pet at Jack as the older man whined in sleep.

It wasn't good for Jack to be there. He should be at home, somewhere safe and properly comfortable in his bed. Not stuck in an office where people would be vying for his attention once the workday started up again in several hours. 

Rhys loathed the very idea, and he turned off his palm display and used his echoeye to dim everything in the office. He wrapped his bed's blanket around the both of them proper and held the CEO close, hoping to get some seriously needed rest. Jack was in for a hard time.

\---

Rhys had preemptively gotten into Jack's systems for the office after a few hours sleep, taking control to keep them undisturbed. He put all calls on hold, all inquiries halted, and anyone showing up for meetings were left to their own to leave, or threatened as he deemed fit by an overly friendly voice making mention of the turrets. 

But he was still annoyed by the outsiders. Just the idea that people were calling on Jack- even if they had originally been summoned by the older man himself- upset him; made him overly protective of the omega. He wanted to get Jack out of here. Somewhere more familiar where he could better protect him, away from annoyances and unfamiliar people.

That Jack was so obviously uncomfortable, and that he refused to try to spend this heat at home while the security issue existed... well it aggravated Rhys immensely. He wanted to make his omega comfortable but that was difficult. See to his absolute safety and wellbeing. Stuck in the office on an (undoubtedly) expensive couch might work alright for a mattress, but feather bed it was not. 

They were resting now, the older man's cheek pressed to his arm, and he just focused on Jack. He worried what this heat would do to the CEO, and how it might affect him afterwards. He was even less coherent now than during a normal heat. And so fast. It wasn't right.

It was obvious that Jack didn't think that whatever he had injected himself with would so put him out of commission. The people that came for scheduled meetings told Rhys that much. The alpha had no idea Jack was actually as busy as this. As far as anybody else at Hyperion knew, it was business as usual. And the CEO _wasn't_ trapped in his office all strung out and heat-exhausted.

Rhys was exhausted himself. Taking care of Jack, trying to solve the security problems, and keeping folk away was taxing. He was slower at manually checking the code than Jack was. Even with his echoeye, he couldn't compete with the man's skills. But dammit, he could do this for his omega; fix the problem and get him home for the remainder of this heat.

He needed to find out more about the injection. The omega was currently suffering at a completely unexpected, chemically brought-on heat that showed no chance of dissipating in intensity any time soon. It scared Rhys. If this was his current temperature, and the omega only got hotter as he peaked, then what might happen a few days from now? It could get very dangerous. He needed more information.

Rhys put aside the code for now, setting a few of his programs to eat through it, and he pet at the older man, trying to rouse him.

"Jack. Jack. Tell me about this injection," he coaxed, stroking over the bruise on the older man's arm. Jack just grumbled in his throat and cuddled into Rhys. "Jack. The injection. What does it _do_? Please, love. What does it do?" He stroked Jack's face until the older man crankily opened his eyes and looked at Rhys. The alpha pressed a kiss to his hot forehead, and Jack huffed, scrunching his eyes in discomfort as he grasped for words.

"A-alpha.... make me...make me an alpha... hmmmm..." Jack pressed himself bodily to Rhys and inhaled his comforting alpha scent. 

"Okay love, okay. But I need more. Side effects. What are the side effects? What does it do?" Jack just whined, and Rhys pet him patiently. He really needed to get to the bottom of this, and if Jack wasn't in the state of mind to tell him himself, then there _were_ other options. "Jack, what's the name? What's the project name?" Jack just burrowed closer to Rhys. "Love, what's it called?"

"....I-Icarus....Icarus..."

Rhys kissed him, pet his shoulder as Jack burrowed back into his skin and tiredly went to sleep. Rhys opened his palm display, switching between his code debugging to Jack's own remote access and searched through the omega's files, looking for anything called Project Icarus.

Turns out it wasn't too difficult. Jack had accessed it just the day before.  
It was heavily encrypted, took quite some time for Rhys to get it open, but it was nothing he couldn't accomplish knowing-well the man next to him.

It gave Rhys everything he'd needed in quite some detail and then some. His expression went through a range of emotions as he read the project abstract and then dug into the meat of the experiments. He held Jack tight against him, stroking the back of the omega's neck with his thumb. This was some seriously heavy shit.

Project Icarus detailed an idea of allowing a person to drastically change their endotype. It built upon preexisting endotypical science, and experiments involving eridium and skags. It was an ongoing project many years in the making-- was directly responsible for a lot of the pharmaceuticals related to endotype health-issues on the market. But the overall end goal was to fully transform an omega to an alpha via gene manipulation. When his eyes read over 'eridium' and 'slag', Rhys' worry increased.

Apparently, trials of a serum had been very successful in all three stages in several species of skags. The abstract noted that omega skags had changed to alphas, and pack behavior reinforced what blood and gene tests had verified. Dissection further elaborated that the process wasn't just sensory, but physiological as well. The entire undertaking was a complete success. 

In _skags._

Stage one human goals had consisted of a basic heat-management, and had built heavily upon suppressor hormonal studies as well as reverse engineering previous work on heat mimickers. The average heat span of a healthy human omega ranged from five to ten days in general. Unless on suppressors, heats generally rendered omegas helpless, desperate, unable to think straight, and often physically weak. They were also slave to the heat and the desire to be fucked like mad. Burning arousal out of control wasn't fun. Suppressors helped to wrest some control back, but it was still hell for those ten days.

The stage one human trials used omega volunteers that were and were not about to go into heat. The serum had successfully reduced heats from ten to three days in subjects due for their usual heat. Those not about to go into heat had actually had one brought on which also lasted three days, and affected the dates of future expected heats. The bottom line had been deemed a success.

More elaboration on those compounded days revealed that the omegas in question had higher temperatures, even less comprehension during the heat itself, and most were left with acute memory loss afterward. Overall though, the participants were pleased that their heat was over so quickly, giving them more control and decision of when and how their heats happened, even if they didn't necessarily remember the hell of it.

This was in over three quarters of participants; skags had been one-hundred percent. However, the reports detailed that all subjects suffered varying degrees of dehydration and lethargy, but otherwise they bounced right back with some fluids. Repeat trials of the serum on the same omegas months later reproduced the same results; three days during their expected cycle. Those who did not agree to a repeat trial after the ordeal had experienced their normal heats within the usual expected cycle timeframe and parameters. Tests had been considered a wild success.

Notes within the file stated that Serum One was currently in the works of being marketed as a prescription-only heat decreaser. The reports at the forefront were dated some time ago, but Rhys didn't recall hearing about this treatment, so it must not be available yet or it wasn't something omegas openly talked about. He wasn't sure. If Jack was any indicator, it wasn't a fun process.

So that much had worked- at least in decreasing the heat days- but only with repeat injections. Project notes indicated that they could tweak that later for a singular injection, but also cautioned that more money was to be made if it was a repeat injection process. 

It made Rhys snort.

The alpha wondered if Jack had actually read everything in the reports for this madness, or only read the end results... _or_ if he'd assumed that maybe he wouldn't be in the majority for side effects.

It certainly explained what was going on here.

Serum two trials had built upon stage one. Heats had been drastically altered with success, yes. That was something they'd been trying to do for _years_. Suppressors only did what their name implied- _suppressed_. But they had managed to almost condense down the days one would be out of commission. That in itself was huge.

One could already put a heat off- delay it- but not indefinitely. That usually resulted in severe medical problems. But with this new treatment, omegas could limit the amount of days that they had to suffer through and take more control over themselves. That could be very useful indeed. 

Stage two was a little different. With heats reduced and quickly burning through ten days worth of hormones in three, they now sought to cover an omega's scent markers; an idea they assumed would impact heat duration as well. 

An omega in heat just smelled strong. That was just basic biology. But even with just their usual scent, they stuck out. Stage two was more about affecting societal perceptions via biological manipulation; doing something about omega scent whether they were in heat or not. Alphas could scent an omega well. Betas were no exception, but it was harder for them to detect.

Alphas in society automatically assumed dominant roles and imposed their will subconsciously. And omegas tended to pick up on that and react accordingly. Even being aware of the matter still made it hard to go against nature. But get that scent out of their brain, the project stated, and it would impact societal behaviors. 

Rhys raised a brow at that. He wasn't so sure he agreed there, but kept on reading. Something in here must be able to help Jack.

With the skags, it had been a great success. Those injected with stage two serum were treated as equals by pack alphas. Though biologically they still differed from alphas. Scent change had worked. In the test-skags, heats had all but disappeared within stage one. Stage two had them scented differently even though their physiology remained the same. Heats completely disappeared in stage two skags.

They used the skag information to create stage three, a process by which the omega creatures would purge every bit of omega out of them. With a little help of a vector virus and slag, they were able to control the destruction of omega cells and manipulate the genes of the test-skags. With an additional injection after the initial process to unlock latent alpha cell production, the tagged skags showed actual signs of physiological changes. Dissection also proved the entire venture a wild success; omega skags were omega no longer. If they didn't have the records, the scientists in charge would have sworn they were originally alpha creatures.

Stage three had made every goal they had set out to, and even recent notes made reports that these same skags were still living healthy alpha lives. It was far better results than any of them could have hoped for.

Application of stage two in humans had utterly _failed_. Attempts to make the omega's scents vanish had only actually made it stronger in all but one participant (they experienced no change). Alphas and betas paired up with these omegas also reported amped up aggression on their own part, and most of the omegas reported an increased body temperature which lingered for a solid two months afterwards right into another heat. And though the partner of the study participant wasn't taking anything, the change in their omega had affected them as well. This was something completely unseen in the skags.

Amped up aggression would _hardly_ be helpful in affecting and changing societal norms. At least not for the better. Stage two in humans had not at all gone as planned- even with the participant who showed no change.

So Jack's unusually strong scent was also due to the experiment, Rhys supposed. But this was still stage two the report was talking about. Jack had injected himself with the newer serum, if his talk with the man before was anything to go off of. It made Rhys' blood run a little faster with anxiety. Stage two hadn't worked. How the hell was stage three any better?

There were notes in there that projected further ideas to build upon the current technology in spite of the failure. Apparently, they had tweaked things and built upon tests from the one subject who didn't experience a change (stronger or otherwise) to proceed to the desire of stopping the heat altogether; amp things on through despite stage two's failure.

The test subject who hadn't experience changes alpha had intervened on their part, informed the directors that they would be pulling out of the further study. As stage two hadn't done what was intended, there was no way the volunteers were going to blindly try stage three. Assurances from the scientists that stage three was more completed and worked _with_ the intensity a heat brought on did nothing to sway them. And stage three hadn't gone through testing.

Jack, apparently, lacked the sense of those who had pulled out of the study.

Rhys pet him. Jack wanted this _badly_. That much was apparent. Rhys didn't quite understand, but he hurt for the other man. There was a _lot_ of time and money spent on this project, and a lot of hell to go through testing it.

But if his reading was anything to trust, then Jack had just one more day of this. Then he should be fine. Three days in the office. Should be done. Stage three didn't mention too much more, side effects-wise. Lack of data or lack of projected side-effects, he was uncertain. There were some noted projections dated just the week before, but nothing else that popped out to him or that he understood. Stage three serum had been completed about four weeks ago, but no one had tested it. 

Until _now_. 

Rhys hoped he wasn't being too optimistic. Three days was what stage one and two had consistently said. Stage three might have sought to get rid of heats altogether, but the fact that Jack was currently having one gave him hope it would just be another flop.

Well, three days. They could manage that. Rhys highly doubted he could attend the code issue within such a time frame anyways to get Jack home, so it worked out. Jack should be done with everything hopefully by tomorrow night and see the wisdom in getting rest at home. No worries. He had his programs digging through systems, kept a watchful eye on Jack, and he looked forward to the end. This should be okay.

\--

Rhys pet Jack and whispered to the sated omega soothingly while he ran over code again hours later. The whispering helped, until it didn't, and Jack was grabbing at him, pushing at him, until Rhys was fucking him in earnest.

It had to be absolute insanity. Rhys had been fucking Jack for a solid hour, was knotting him again a fourth time during, and the man hadn't gone soft once yet. He was scared for him; this was so unlike a normal heat. Project Icarus didn't note anything like this; any problems with the heat itself. Where he'd hoped it was leveling out, it seemed to him to only be getting worse.

Jack was whimpering beneath him, making every noise of discomfort and upset possible. Rhys didn't know what else he could do. He was knotting the omega, gotten him off two more times while they were still bound together, and was dabbing at his face with a cool cloth. Rhys was exhausted from this, he hated to admit. And if he felt that way, he couldn't imagine what Jack was feeling. The man had lost all ability of speech some time ago, just making noises of either pleasure or pain. The sounds pulled Rhys in either direction, wanting to help the omega so badly it hurt. 

When Jack finally went soft, Rhys breathed a loud sigh of grateful relief, and he nosed at the man even as he cleaned him up and tried to cool him down again. Jack fully passed out beneath him, and he knew the older man was just out. 

Heats were fun, Rhys thought. Even when Jack got all loopy and paranoid and clingy, Rhys made the most of it and Jack liked to crack stupid jokes. This though... This was not fun. In terms of orgasms, okay, it was damn amazing, but in terms of normality, it wasn't good. The whimpers, whines and aggravated groans that periodically came out of the older man told Rhys as much. Jack's overall discomfort during heats was aggravating when it got to be too much and Rhys couldn't seem to help enough. But Jack had never passed out from sheer exhaustion during one before. Rhys was extra aware of keeping him hydrated and his energy up for how hot the CEO was running. His body must be swamped.

He wasn't sure how long they'd slept or even when he'd nodded off before Jack was pulling at him again weakly with glazed eyes when he deigned to open them. 

The alpha checked the time. Okay, they'd actually slept damn long. That was good, wasn't it? Rhys realized he was thirsty, and he had to kiss Jack into the mattress to make him let go, ignore his thirst and straining erection, and get them water and food. If _he_ was thirsty, then Jack must be parched.

The water he brought Jack actually drained without prompting, but the food Rhys set aside, unable to ignore the sounds coming from the omega. He fucked the other man until Jack laid sated beneath him and lightly snoring. When Rhys was able to uncouple from him, he roused the CEO to eat and drink once more and then fucked him again. They went at it for a few more hours until Jack just wouldn't stop crying out. The alpha held him close and pet him, kept wiping the sweat down with cool cloths, and made him drink when he was coherent enough. Jack groped at Rhys and just made aggravated, discomforted whines and whimpers, and Rhys tried to calm him as best he could.

It went on like this with no end in sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, Project Icarus. Cuz Jack's got some lofty as fuck goals and his ass is gonna crash and burn. Haha
> 
> Cutting this chapter in half was good >_> it means we'll get the next that much quicker. There are two more to come. But my face is killing me right now (I'm REALLY hoping I didn't get sinusitis again T_T) so I'll have the rest of this story completely up no later than next week I think. Bear with all the shitty pseudoscience. It was fun til I made it difficult >_> haha
> 
> Come play grabass at me ;) http://purge-that-urge-rhackathon.tumblr.com


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is short :3 
> 
> The chapter in which everything is solved and taken care of because originally this was gonna be the end of the story but anons got me thinkin otherwise LOLOL

It was day three of Rhys telling people off with threat of turret aeration when something changed. Things got worse before they got better, and Jack uttered the first actual words in a while to the younger man.

Rhys was over Jack's back biting, nipping as he thrust into the omega. The older man craned his head forwards against his own chest as Rhys' lips were over his neck, moaning and whimpering both as he pressed back into the alpha.

"Do it. _Do it do it do it_ ," Jack repeated. It took Rhys a second before he realized what Jack meant, what he wanted, and it instantly alarmed Rhys, making him pull back. 

He stopped thrusting into the omega beneath him and Jack immediately whined and whimpered. He retook his rhythm, much slower, his heart racing for reasons completely unrelated to fucking as his head whirled. He pet Jack, trying to soothe him as the omega CEO whined and pushed back against him, giving him a frown and a worried expression.

"Shhh..." Rhys soothed, kissing anywhere but near the bonding site, rolling his hips into the omega. "It's alright, sweet thing. It's alright, I've got you. Shhh..."

Rhys was extra cautious. The way Jack had looked at him and told him to 'do it' had really affected him. Excited, scared, he wasn't sure, but that was serious. Like serious-serious. They'd never talked about it, not really. And while things were fairly serious between the two of them, bonding was still.... Just....

After that incident there were no more risks, no more temptation, and he stroked the CEO's skin and pet at him but stayed the hell away from his neck. Just extended fucking. And as his knot swelled inside the other man and Jack settled down with a happy noise, Rhys was relieved.

He held the omega close as an alert in his echoeye caught his attention. Apparently his crappy little programs had _actually_ found something, and wasn't that a big damn surprise.

While Jack slept, Rhys checked over the issues his programs had found, detailing numerous little problems that together created the massive fuckup that Jack had been so concerned about. They were small, but worked together in a way that was surprisingly sophisticated. He was certain Jack was correct about suspecting sabotage. He immediately set about fixing things and changing security protocols while the older man slept; adding in things to hopefully trace the source of this betrayal. It might have taken his programs triple the time Jack himself might have needed, but he felt a little proud that he'd been able to take care of something for his omega. With that actually done, he could get them out of here.

"I'm gonna take you home later tonight, Jack," Rhys whispered in his ear. The CEO didn't respond, out like a light, and Rhys just continued double and triple checking things the next few undisturbed hours that Jack slept.

\--

It seemed like the heat was letting up. Jack was still hot, though more what Rhys would have expected from a normal heat. The older man became a bit more coherent, and Rhys was able to work with that more than the writhing mess of impulse the omega had been before.

" _Rhysie_..."

His voice was raspy, weak, and the alpha immediately brought all his attention to the older man. 

"Hey..." He stroked at Jack's face and studied his eyes; less glazed and apparently more aware.

"I....Why am I so hot?"

"It's okay, drink some water."

Rhys helped him sit up as the omega groggily rubbed at his eyes. He quickly reverted to laying back down after drinking, and threw an arm around Rhys. He muttered about something but just stuck his face into Rhys' skin, dozing a bit more while the younger man stroked at his hair, hoping for the best. Maybe this heat was finally coming to a close.

Jack felt absolutely wrecked when he finally opened his eyes again later and groped at the alpha. He put the younger man's flesh palm over his eyes, pressing the cooler flesh to his hot face, and groaned. This was the worst hangover he'd ever had. 

"...What in the hell did we get up to last night pumpkin?" Jack rasped as he held the alpha's hand to his face.

"You alright?" The younger man asked in concern, petting at him with his cybernetic hand. "How do you feel, love?" Jack breathed a few ticks, his answer slow.

"...got one fuck of a hangover," he groaned. He pulled Rhys' hand down over his mouth, kissing at his palm and then keeping it there as he spoke, muffled. "What did we drink?"

Rhys gave him a concerned look, pulling his hand from Jack's lips to stroke at his cheek. "Jack, what do you remember?"

The older man closed his eyes, thought for a few moments. "You wanted to pick up wine or some shit.... feels like we drank an entire bottle of Pandoran moonshine."

Rhys pet at his hair, speaking softly and carefully. "That was three days ago, love." Jack looked at him, first puzzled, then with disbelief, waiting for a punchline that wouldn't come. Rhys pet him slowly. "Do you remember taking that injection from R&D?" 

The alpha began brushing over the omega's arm where the still-visible bruise was. Jack thought to himself a while, before looking at his arm. It was obvious to Rhys that the CEO was trying to piece things together in his mind.

"It triggered a heat, love. Burned right through you," Rhys informed while he stroked fingers through Jack's messy hair. He smirked at the older man. "We've been stuck here the past three days nonstop fucking. It was fun but honestly if my dick gets hard again I'm gonna scream."

Jack laughed and pulled Rhys down to him. He didn't remember that, but it would certainly explain why he felt like he'd been hit by a train. "Well shit, kiddo...." he exhaled tiredly. "I need to sleep for an entire week maybe. Everything just... fuck that serum..."

Jack tiredly closed his eyes, tugging Rhys' arm over him and not giving it back. Rhys pressed a kiss to his temple and the older man sighed.

"You tried to make me bond you, love."

Jack's eyes popped open and he gave him an alarmed look. Rhys could feel Jack's heart pick up speed in his chest and he quickly added, "I didn't."

Jack looked away in quick thought, huffing and closing his eyes again. Why he thought it was a good idea to experiment on himself he didn't know, but shit, it wasn't worth all _this_. He'd been on benders before but he always remembered bits and pieces. Everything after he injected himself was... Fuzzy. He felt awful. And asking Rhys to bond with him.... Jesus.

"Please don't experiment on yourself," Rhys said as he ghosted his lips over Jack's throat. His touches were soft and concerned. Jack was still disoriented. "Don't let it go to your head, but you're absolutely perfect already, love. You don't need to change a damn thing." He punctuated each sentence with a kiss. Jack smiled as Rhys' lips connected with skin.

"...we are _not_ marketing this shit.... even for the faster heat just... I feel like skagshit. Where's my gun?"

"Why?"

"I'm gonna shoot myself in the head."

A wry smile worked its way onto Rhys' face and he gently worked kisses across Jack's tired skin. "Don't worry love, I've got you. I've always got you. Just... Don't do shit like this again. I... You've made me worry. So much."

Jack just smirked tiredly, closing his eyes again. "We're gonna have to burn this couch."

"Yeah I think so."

"I'm hungry."

"What do you want? I'll take care of it. Might still have something good from Vaughn, though."

Jack looked confused a moment but then smiled. "A big greasy cheeseburger. And a milkshake."

Rhys laughed and kissed his temple. "With fries?"

"There better be fries or I'm airlocking you."

Rhys kissed the side of his head while Jack moved to press himself further against Rhys.

"Alright?"

"I feel okay.... hot, but.... Just tired."

Rhys let loose a small chuckle. "I'm so fucking relieved you don't even know." He kissed Jack again, and wrapped arms around the older man. Jack just smirked and burrowed under the blankets up against Rhys' skin and let himself be soothed by the fingers at his scalp.

"I solved the issue with the information leaks, by the way," Rhys said softly into the older man's ear. "Lots of little errant code we might not have noticed otherwise. Still tracing the hacker."

"That's my Rhysie," Jack sighed tiredly, wrapping a leg around one of Rhys' own. He was still completely out of it, eyes closed and cheek smooshed against Rhys' chest. The sight made Rhys' heart clench, and he smiled as he carded fingers through Jack's hair gently. The older man hummed at Rhys' stroking as his breathing evened out, and Rhys found himself captivated by that sleepy face. 

He knew he was in serious trouble as he watched over the omega. His heart fluttered once as he took in that relaxed expression, jaw slack and mouth slightly ajar against his skin. The way Jack was close to him, feeling the beat of the CEO's heart. Jack at utter relaxation, trusting him to watch over him. Shit. This was just... It was deep. Crazy fucking deep. 

Fuck. 

Fuck _fuckity_ fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally this was gonna be the end of the fic. But I changed some things and wording and now we've got two chapters of delicious delicious Jack angst and possessive Rhys coming up >:3 Technically tho yeah this was the end >_> Haha thank you anon for lighting my fire. The next bit was fun to write...and I also had to chop THAT in half LOLOL shit this thing was supposed to be only 3 chapters bahah
> 
> http://purge-that-urge-rhackathon.tumblr.com


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been amusing myself calling this and the next chapter the 'extra crispy' installation xD Ahahha! Initially I'd never wanted Rhys to allow anyone else near Jack during a heat, but the anon that asked for Jack angst REALLY got me thinking....so here we are. Bwahaha

Rhys thought now that Jack was more coherent, that everything was over, and his heat would wind down. The abstract on Project Icarus had said three days, and it had been as much. Jack had woken up again, laughed about the mark on his arm, nuzzled on Rhys, and poked fun at the yellow comforter with black H's they were wrapped up in. He refused to relinquish it back to the younger man as Rhys gathered things up, and just wanted a bit longer to rest before they got out of there.

But the CEO wasn't exactly cooling off, and his lethargy wasn't fading. While Jack had been more coherent, he was quickly slipping back into more stunted sentences and murmurs, lacking the same vitality as several hours earlier. It seemed almost like he was going back into a second heat.

Rhys was scared. Far more than before. This wasn't in the reports. The abstract didn't say anything about more heats. But then, no one had tried stage three before. And though it looked like a second heat, it was different enough for concern. 

"Jack, love. I don't know what to do."

Jack was still hot, still smelled delicious but really just more like his usual self. He didn't seem to be dying to be fucked anymore, or at least, he wasn't trying to get Rhys to fuck him. He also wasn't unbearably hard anymore. He hadn't been hard in a while actually; since Rhys had last fucked him. But he was becoming less coherent. It wasn't even normal for a heat.

Project Icarus didn't detail anything on this. There were only things about stage three and their goals which built off incomplete data. The formula, this version three final stage, was different. Rhys realized he didn't know how stage three would affect Jack past the limited expectations listed in the project files. With the different expectations and results just in stage two, it was incredibly concerning.

"Jack. I have to get you to a doctor, love. You _need_ to see a doctor. Who do you trust?" Jack turned over and gave him a frown. "Tell me the name of your doctor."

" _Rhysie_...." Jack was lethargic, just burrowing into his skin and throwing an arm over him, wanting his embrace. "Hrmmm..."

He called Yvette, was grateful when she answered after only a few moments.

"What's up?"

"I _have_ to get Jack to a doctor," Rhys said in a tone almost pleading with Yvette. 

"Are you okay? Should I come up there now?" She could hear the note of panic in his voice, the urgency.

Rhys looked down at Jack cuddled to his chest, the man still hot-- not scalding at least- but the heat's sex-craze seemed burned out of him. Was this okay? Should he panic even more? He had no idea what to do.

"I-I don't know.... I can't.... Yvette _what should I do_?"

"Does Jack have someone he sees? Do you know? Can you access his information?"

"It's not like I can just ask around whoever and he doesn't have anything listed," Rhys said with audible frustration.

"Well ask _him_ then."

"Jack, love, Jack," he tried to rouse the older man. Jack cracked an eye half-open, green peeking out at Rhys. "Do you have a doctor you trust? Someone you see when you're sick?"

Jack just snorted, mouthed at Rhys' skin a bit before closing his eyes again with a hum. Rhys turned back to his comm.

"It's....I can't just....this is sensitive information and he...he..."

"Hey, hey its okay, _focus_." Yvette tried to calm him down, speaking calmly but with authority. "I could call someone I know. A specialist."

"A specialist? In what?"

"In omega biology."

"Is this _your_ doctor?"

Jack stirred next to him, his hand squeezing at Rhys' hip. " _Angela_..."

Rhys looked down. "Angela?"

"Who's Angela?" Yvette asked on the other end of the line. 

"Is that your doctor?" Rhys asked him. Jack didn't respond, but just clung to Rhys. He kissed the older man's temple, spoke to Yvette. "Do you know any doctors named Angela?"

"Not off the top of my head. I could check medical registries though."

"No no, I'll check it from here. I've got Jack's access. I can check employee names with medical backgrounds."

"That's smart. Okay, let me know what you find. And I'm standing by to help, okay? Or....well if you need Vaughn," she said with a little amusement in her voice. If Jack was still running a heat, then it wasn't wise for her to be near them.

Rhys realized he was nodding until he actually replied. "Yeah....yeah... I, thank you. You don't even know, Yvette. He's... he's just.... Thanks."

Rhys searched for the name Angela, no last names or anything else provided, but so many names of Hyperion employees came up it was impossible to sift through. He added filters to his search for doctors. Still impossibly long list. He specified omega specific care; zero results. 

He began to get frustrated. Jack wouldn't just see _anyone_. The way he felt about his endotype, the nature of his position; there was no way he would see a doctor accessible to everyone else.

Rhys ran the name Angela through the database of Hyperion employees again, but this time ran it through R&D and science. Two names came up. One was in robotics- an intern. He could safely scratch that off.

The other had been on the payroll for years. No picture, no last name. But she just so happened to work in a subdivision of pharmaceuticals. 

Bingo.

\--

"What the hell do ya want?"

Rhys paused at the voice that answered his call, both hoping that this was and wasn't the person he was looking for. He knew he was calling late but geez. "Hi, um, you work in pharmaceuticals, right?"

" _Who is this_?" The voice, raspy, gruff, sounded immediately suspicious.

"Um, you don't know me, but my name is Rhys. I need to-"

"Yeah, I know you. You're Jack's alpha, huh?"

Rhys was a bit taken aback by that. "Y-yeah, I am."

"And you're calling me because...?"

"What do you know about Project Icarus?" The other end of the call was silent a moment. He thought he heard what might have been the flick of a lighter and the inhalation on a cigarette.

"He took the injection, didn't he?"

Rhys could feel his heart speeding up. The alpha swallowed, shooting a look at the omega with his head stuck into his chest. "Yeah...yeah he did."

Another pause. Rhys thought he could hear his own heart. 

"He still alive?" At Rhys' gasp, the woman on the other end chuckled softly.

"Look I need your help. He asked for you. Said your name. I don't know what to do." He paused a moment to try to steady the panic from his voice. "We've been stuck in the office for days with this thing and he just isn't cooling down. Can you help?"

"Probably," the woman said without hurry or urgency.

Rhys waited for her to continue speaking. When it was apparent she wasn't going to, he got impatient. "Well, can you come up then? He's been so hot, and I thought he was getting better but it's started to get worse. _Please_."

"Kid, that might not be so smart."

" _What_? I need your help!" he pleaded, not at all understanding how she couldn't be concerned. "Please, I'm begging you. He's so hot, I don't know what to do."

He heard an annoyed huff, the movement of a chair. "Dammit...I'm getting overtime for this."

Before he could even mutter a thank you, the call went dead. He frowned, but turned his attention back on the omega before him. He kissed at Jack's hot face, murmured to him that help was coming, and that they'd get him taken care of proper. Rhys tried to get some clothes or his mask back into place, but the omega absolutely refused. Rhys just prayed he knew what he was doing, and waited.

\--

When he opened the office to the woman from the call a while later, he didn't know what he'd been expecting. White lab coat maybe, glasses. Unkempt hair. This woman had gray to fiery-red hair in a long braid down her back, and she was much older than Jack. She was shorter than him too, quite shorter than Rhys, with keen eyes in a round face, body stout. Her overall demeanor made Rhys think this woman was tough as nails and just as strong. The scent of cigarettes wafted off her.

He reacted maybe a _bit_ too strongly to the way she confidently entered the office, moving a little too fast perhaps catching Rhys off guard. He lunged at her with a growl, and seconds later she had him on the floor with her knee in his back, tension of his t-shirt choking him. A lot more strong and quick than he'd expected.

"Calm your shit, kid. I'm here to help."

Rhys tried to calm himself down, angrily breathing through his nostrils. He was inhaling the alpha scent he hadn't picked up on immediately as she'd entered. He struggled a bit more.

"Yeah, I'm an alpha, too," she said intuitively to his struggles. "That's why I said this wasn't a good idea. That shit's amped up your aggression. Calm the hell down."

Rhys breathed heavily and she didn't let him up until he'd calmed down sufficiently. He apologized as her knee was still digging into his back, and she let him up slowly. She shot a look over to where Jack was passed out cold on his back on the couch.

"So this idiot _actually_ tried the serum? Well, that's one way to speed up trials."

Rhys was edgy about her, back on his feet and quickly retreating back to Jack's side. He sat next to the older man, behind him on the couch so he could better have a vantage point from which to watch over Jack _and_ watch her.

This time, the woman moved slowly, no sudden movements. Rhys still didn't like it. He was sitting on the one side of Jack, hands placed on the other side, effectively over him like a barrier. It got a snort from the other alpha.

"I told you to calm your shit, kid. I'm not gonna do anything to your precious omega. Knock it off."

Jack roused from the voice as the scent of another alpha hit his nostrils. He looked at Rhys with confusion and edged closer to him, whining tiredly in his throat. Rhys shot her a look, but she didn't seem too impressed by anything before her. She rolled her eyes as Rhys lowly growled at her. She totally ignored him in favor of the CEO.

"John. Hey kiddo. Look at me."

Rhys looked confused while Jack edged even closer to his alpha, pressing his nose to Rhys' leg. The younger man wrapped an arm over him and lowered himself bodily closer to the omega.

"You screwed up pretty bad there, kid," she continued speaking to Jack. She gave Rhys a frown for the noises coming out of him. "Did you call me up here to growl at me with your tail between your legs, or to help this idiot? _Knock it off_."

Rhys wasn't sure who the idiot here was (he kind of felt like it was him) but he slowly drew Jack up against him as the older man whimpered, and Rhys tried to get his own possessive protectiveness under control. It took some damn near impossible restraint for him to allow her some access to Jack without picking a fight. But the woman was whom Jack himself had named to help. He tried to remember that and suck it up.

She gave Jack a sort of sympathetic frown, looking but not touching. "This isn't a heat, kid. You shouldn't have done this to yourself."

Jack was trying to get away from her, and Rhys pressed his lips to Jack's temple, murmuring and trying to keep himself calm for Jack's sake. The older man made a noise of discomfort as the other alpha looked to Rhys. 

"He should be at a hospital. This treatment should have been monitored. We need to have a look at what he's done to himself on the molecular level and you don't got any of the shit to do it up here. _This_ serum never had human trials." She looked back at Jack. "You hear me, Johnny boy? I told you not to."

She stood back up straight to mess with her echo device as Rhys gave little touches and murmured to Jack that everything was alright and they were getting him help. He pet the CEO who would intermittently crack an eye to frown at Rhys before grasping closer, whining deep in his throat.

"I've got a team that'll head up here. And another heading to a specially prepared room. I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you," Rhys told her emphatically, kissing Jack's temple again as the older man frowned with closed eyes.

"Where's his mask then? Let's put it back on before they get here."

Rhys noted her attitude. "You....don't seem surprised by any of this."

"By the scar or the injection?" Rhys looked a little taken aback at her bluntness. "I've known this kid since he was a pup. Who do you think dealt with all this?" She indicated her face, making a wide arch with her index finger. 

Rhys was a little excited, he had to admit. He knew very little about Jack's past. Only the things general public knew or little things Jack had mentioned in passing. He never wanted to pry but he was thirsty for details about the omega's life before he became the unquestioned ruler of Hyperion. 

"I've handled a lot of shit for this kid.  
He didn't know crap about being an omega, either. Bitch of a grandmother didn't teach him nothing about his heats. None of this comes as a surprise."

"....she's dead," Jack's voice suddenly spoke up. He was looking at the woman with squinted eyes, tired; a moment of clarity.

Angela looked down at him with a kind of warm smile Rhys hadn't yet seen, slowly putting her hand on the top of Jack's head which both men allowed. 

"Good."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chap to go :) I think the angstyness is sufficient in the next bit >:D John the omega, Jack the alpha. My backstory head cannon is overflowing....I don't really get into any of it here tho xD 
> 
> http://purge-that-urge-rhackathon.tumblr.com


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is finally what anon wanted quite some time ago >:3 OHOHO!! Some delicious delicious angst.  
> Also, I'm marking this story as complete but idk. See my notes at the end of the chapter for more.

Jack was prepped and ready-- mask in place- and the people Angela had called had arrived. They wheeled him out in Rhys' ridiculous yellow comforter which he'd refused to relinquish; the team of medical professionals was made up of all omegas. Rhys remained by his side the whole time, keeping a hand on the older man and unable to stop the noises of aggravation that left him at the extra bodies around his omega.

It wasn't a proper heat. He had to keep telling himself that. Jack didn't smell like he was in heat anymore. He wasn't in danger from other omegas of course, and shouldn't be even from alphas. His heat was done and this was something else. It was okay. He just had to keep reminding himself that it was okay. Everyone wanted to _help_ Jack.

But he still kept his hand on the CEO, never letting him go. Even arriving at the special hospital wing just for him. 

He had a private room within another room in a special part of the ward. Rhys didn't see anyone else upon their arrival. He was glad for the hush-hush of the matter for Jack's sake. Yvette and Vaughn alone had been waiting for them at Rhys' bidding. Yvette kept her distance but offered a smile and Vaughn remained beside her as they waited for the team to set Jack up proper.

When Rhys was forced out of the room due to harassing the staff that just wanted to get Jack examined-- blood drawn, temperature, routine stuff really- the omega panicked, and the alpha went _ballistic._

Rhys was already agitating the omega orderlies trying to go about the tasks Angela had given them. But removing the alpha-- and thusly panicking the omega- made things ten times worse.

They forcibly removed Rhys with three people while Jack was weakly calling out for him. The alpha fought them all hard-- only focused on Jack's delirious voice- drawing blood from two orderlies as another brought forth a mild sedative. 

Rhys knew that there were only omegas in the room with him aside from Angela herself; he _knew_ Jack was in no danger. But knowing didn't change his pure fear, every instinct screaming at him to go to Jack's side and stay there at any cost. Angela was telling him to calm the hell down _and_ trying to soothe the omega while Vaughn and Yvette and a whole lot of orderlies made Rhys forcibly vacate the area. 

For being so lanky, he put up a hell of a fight. Blood from the damage he'd managed to inflict was stark against the crisp white uniforms of those trying to move him, and with a needle in his neck they were dragging him under his shoulders down the hall.

Rhys could still hear Jack crying out for him even as he was removed to a waiting room not all that far, and he was trying to fight the sedative to no avail to get to the CEO. 

He was on the floor, slid from the chair they'd deposited him in, while Jack was attended to. Vaughn and Yvette had tried to keep him in one of the chairs while he was sedated, but he kept fighting it, trying to get to the door. He just ended up sort of writhing on the floor in incoordination while Vaughn pet at him. He made little noises of distress while his two friends tried their best to comfort him, but what he wanted was to go to Jack.

"Rhys, it'll be okay. They're just checking him over. He needs help, remember? They're _not_ hurting him."

"He _needs_ me," Rhys slurred, realizing he was sobbing with frustration. They could hear Jack yowling for the younger man. It was tearing Rhys apart.

"Bro, it's alright. He's alright," Vaughn told him even as Jack's voice echoed to them. It was definitely disturbing, even knowing nothing was wrong. Handsome Jack calling out for anyone the way he was calling for Rhys was something no one had ever heard before. It was irking Vaughn immensely, the omega making several false starts for the door himself until Yvette told him to hang tight.

Part of Rhys knew that this was due to the serum Jack had taken; it had resulted in amped-up aggression in partners to the study participants. So his behavior was amped due to that. But that didn't matter to him. He just knew that Jack wanted him, needed him, was _calling out for him_ , and he was being barred from his omega.

It was a while before the sedatives wore off Rhys enough for him to shakily get to his feet, and during that time Jack had stopped calling for him. Either that, or they couldn't hear him anymore. Rhys wouldn't sit down when Yvette tried to make him, and though he was wobbly he broke free and made straight for Jack's room in a messy run. He chased the remaining omega orderlies from the place when he finally rejoined the CEO, and they fled without issue given the previous encounter with the alpha. 

Jack was whining where he sat on the medical bed, laying back burrowed within Rhys' yellow comforter tucked around him. He softly called to the alpha as he saw him. Seemed like they'd given him something as well to make him more docile.

Jack's tests were all done for the moment, and the CEO looked disgruntled, exhausted, edgy, uncomfortable, and weak. There was also a generally-distrustful look to him as he watched the room with tired, glazed eyes. He reached for Rhys from the bed and the alpha sat down next to him, immediately wrapping his arms around the omega. 

Jack was hooked up to IVs, one clear and one light violet in the same arm as the injection bruise, the tubes beneath his blanket. The omega was rubbing his face in Rhys' neck and whining with relief at the alpha's familiar, comforting scent. He was lightly trembling, which made fury go through Rhys. Being separated had not been good for him. He held tight to the omega and pressed kisses to his skin. 

"Rhys....Rhysie...."

"I'm here, I'm here. I'm so sorry. I've got you, love. I'm with you."

" _You left_ ," Jack whined into his neck accusatively even as he clung to him. His voice was full of such betrayal, such despair, it physically hurt the alpha. The younger man had never heard that tone in Jack's voice, not ever. He felt sick over that as he held the shaken omega in his arms. "You left."

"No, no love never-"

Jack's grip tightened on him, pressing himself harder to the alpha. " _You left_."

Rhys' own grip further closed on the omega, keeping them hard against each other. He kissed and licked at Jack's skin, unfamiliar scents in the room and on the man. He tried to envelope him in his own scent. 

Jack felt abandoned, that much was sure. He'd done the one thing he'd initially swore he'd never do, and left the man in this state. Granted he'd had no control over that, had fought against it, but the guilt was deep at Jack's open expression. "I'd never leave you, love. Never willingly." Jack still murmured unhappily against him. "They... We're gonna get all this sorted, sweet thing. They're gonna fix you up and make things right and I'm gonna take you home, okay? I won't leave you. I've got you."

" _Rhysie_... stay...stay with me."

Rhys properly climbed into the hospital bed that was just big enough for him to fit next to the older man. He wiggled down under the comforter and slightly under Jack to maneuver the older man so he could effectively wrap himself around him. The omega was still nude under that blanket, something he didn't seem to mind, and cuddled onto Rhys' chest, curling his hand into the younger man's t-shirt collar. He stuck his nose into the alpha's skin at his neck and was holding onto him with his other hand. He gave a sigh and it was like his whole body relaxed against Rhys.

Rhys' metallic hand was around Jack's waist, and he was stroking at the nape of the older man's neck with blunt nails. He was kissing Jack's hair, the skin at the top of his mask. They wouldn't force him from the room again. Not again. "I've got you, love. I've got you."

\--

Angela was in some time later to check on Jack, and she gave Rhys a smirk. The younger man was greedily wrapped all around the exhausted omega; he was shielding, like a dragon protecting its hoard. Jack gave a sniff and turned his face into Rhys' chest, breathing in his scent only, apart from the familiar but offending alpha. Jack's grasp on Rhys noticeably tightened. The alpha watched the woman warily. 

"Nesting?" She raised her brow as Rhys furrowed his. "That's real cute. And he's not even going through a real heat anymore. You didn't do something stupid and knock him up did you?" 

As the blood drained from Rhys' face, she laughed loud and hard. Jack stirred and shot her a dirty look as he hunkered down closer to Rhys.

"...s'not funny..." Jack murmured. "Go away."

"You've done some stupid things in the past, Johnny, but this was the stupidest," she told him. Jack made an annoyed sound. "Interesting to be sure." She moved closer to them both as Rhys contracted his body around Jack warily. She moved into Jack's space, and Rhys growled a curt _hey_ at her. She just huffed in amusement and kept her eyes on Jack. "Your body's attacking itself kiddo. Trying to remove all those hateful omega genes in your system, just like it should. Still worth this shit?"

Jack just frowned and turned his head back to Rhys. "Go away," he murmured, pulling Rhys closer as if he could cover himself in the alpha. Rhys wrapped slender fingers over the top of Jack's face as he held his head to his chest. Jack would not be dealing with her further.

The woman stood and just gave Rhys a smirk. "I'll be back in later. Get some rest." She messed with one of the IVs before leaving, and Rhys didn't move from position for hours.

\--

"So, he'll get better?" Rhys was asking Angela in hushed tones the next day, a look to the IVs. He pet Jack rhythmically as the older man dozed against him. He was tired, still hot, but resting.

Angela ignored his question. "How many more heats does an omega his age have left in him you reckon?"

"Wh-what's that got to do with anything? How should I know?"

"Omega biology works different from us, kid. Stage three was... A little radical. How could you make an omega into an alpha and transform what makes them _them_ , without _destroying_ them?"

Rhys was shaking his head in confusion. "I-I... I don't..."

"Burn all of it right out of him," she elaborated with a snap of her fingers. "Exhaust the ability to even _go_ into heat. Remove that, successfully _stop_ it, and you do away with omega scent; you've essentially got a base to manipulate things to alpha biology. Another injection to activate latent cells and boom." 

Rhys looked down at Jack and back to Angela, confused. 

"You can't build shit without resources; can't have a heat if the body is done with all that. If he burned through _all_ heat resources for the rest of his natural life in a short period of time, omega scent and heat would no longer be an issue. Can't display what's not there."

Rhys started to get it, looking worried. "But that....that.... That sounds dangerous."

She didn't look at all surprised by his declaration. "My exact opinion. It was suggested that while possible to genetically exhaust everything chemical that makes an omega an _omega_ , that they might not survive the process to manipulate all the shit left and rebuild afterwards." Rhys looked suddenly terrified. "Elevated body temperature, increased respiration, metabolism, heart rate- you get the picture. How long could a body hold out like that?" She spared a frown down at Jack. "There were reasons the other participants dropped out and we didn't test this stuff. Even if he is older than our test subjects and the time for him to use up everything shorter, I'm fairly positive he would burn out before we would see results. The body works fast, but not that fast.... You look angry, string bean."

"Why even make something like this if you didn't think a human would survive it?!"

She snorted. "Everything is a lot neater with numbers than flesh and blood, kiddo. Even the success with the skags was a surprise."

"Project Icarus said it _worked_ in skags."

"Skag genetics are flexible, even if they surprisingly share a lot of things with us. Easy to mutate. They also have shorter life spans, so burning through everything was quite quick. They also didn't run the risk of overheating. Their body temperatures are too different from our own to even merit mentioning the risk of overheating. Fluctuations weren't an issue. Again, kid, it all worked on paper. The body though..."

"You can reverse it," Rhys said, though his voice was scared, questioning. 

"I can stop the process, yeah. We've got him on an eridium-treated saline drip, but he needs a few injections to destroy the markers facilitating the process. This serum was something else; it'll take more than one injection to stop it." She gave the other alpha a quirk of her brow. "If he could survive the whole process though and burn through it, I'm sure the experiment would be successful."

Rhys gave her a wide-eyed look, no part of that sentence did he enjoy. 

Jack. Jack wanted to be an alpha badly; that much Rhys understood. But the cost seemed far too great. Was it worth risking his life over? Rhys didn't know; he didn't think that was his choice to make.

"How much longer would he be like this then?" Rhys asked. "How long would the process take for what he wants? If it worked? For the change to happen."

"Well, getting usual heats down to three days running, multiplied by the number of years a man in his profession probably has left and the amounts of heats _in_ those years.... Well, honey, forget how long it would take; how long do you think he could hold out?"

She watched Rhys' face as the young man did mental calculations, stopping short with a look at Jack. He'd come to the same impossible numbers she had. Jack couldn't take this treatment that long. No way.

"Reverse it. Do what you need to. Stop it all."

"You don't have the authorization for that, little alpha."

Rhys snarled at her. "He is _mine_. And I'm telling you right now to fix whatever shit he did to his body. _Help him_."

A thin grin lit the woman's face. "This is _Handsome Jack_ you're talking about, kid. Head of Hyperion. He's not gonna like that you took away his chance to become an alpha."

"You don't even know if it would work or kill him," Rhys growled. "Stop it."

"He'll probably have you shot in the head for it."

"He can make that choice after he can string two sentences together," Rhys ground out.

"You doing this because you don't want your hold on him challenged, kid? Handsome Jack the omega might put up with you, but as an alpha? You think he'd waste his time with you? Don't tell me the thought hasn't crossed your mind."

Rhys stared her down, anger coursing through him. "Lady," he told her very coldly, staring her dead in the eyes, his echoeye flashing to life. "You go get those injections right now or I'll aerate those thoughts from your head the Hyperion way." The smirk on her face didn't impress Rhys but as she didn't move, the man snarled at her. " _Help. Him_."

Her smile quirked, her grin genuine. She started moving. "Alright then kiddo."

\--

Jack woke to dazed coherency some time after the first injection Angela had given him. It was followed by a second and a third-- boosters, she'd said- and the CEO was doing well. His temperature was in decline back to normality, and he seemed a lot less lethargic than previously; just overall exhausted.

Rhys just remained at his side, stroking and touching and holding him as the stuff worked its magic. He remotely accessed Jack's office to make sure it was still on lock-down, the CEO taking an extended vacation for all anyone knew. But he couldn't wait to get Jack home.

"Rhysie...mmm," Jack purred his name, pleased at the stroking from the younger man. He was slowly becoming more aware, the treatments that he'd been injected with doing him quite well. He was exhausted from it all though, murmuring to Rhys when he wasn't dozing. The younger man's presence was a comfort.

"Jack," Rhys took his face between his hands and kissed the older man deeply. Jack smiled up at him when they broke apart, and Rhys' heart sped up quite a bit. He stroked Jack's cheek with his thumb. "Sweet thing...."

The omega tapped Rhys' chin with his nose and then kissed Rhys' throat. "My Rhysie."

It took a few more days with various IVs stuck in him before Jack was able to leave the hospital of his own volition. And by that time, he was back to his confident, smart-assed self. It drove Rhys nuts, but he supposed that the older man understood the seriousness of what he'd been through enough that Rhys didn't need to nag him on it. Everything had worked out, and if Jack was eager to put it behind him, then Rhys could live with that.

Jack had laughed when Rhys told him some things-- things he'd done, things he'd said, the way he'd worried the shit out of him. But of all things, Jack found the idea of Rhys threatening to murder anyone, let alone _Angela_ , especially hilarious.

"She's the only one with half a chance at taking _me_ down, kitten. She'd use _you_ to pick her teeth."

"Who _is_ she?" Rhys asked, unable to keep the question from coming out as Jack was sitting on the edge of the hospital bed. The woman had only been by one last time to discharge him, and left in serious need of a cigarette. Rhys was left with more questions than answers.

Jack just smirked at him, his eyes tired, somewhat distant. "I'll tell you about her some time...but not now.... Right now though, I wanna go home, pumpkin. Give me your pants."

Rhys had squawked at that, and Jack had fired back that _he_ was the naked one here and that Rhys could have the pleasure of wearing his own personal yellow comforter back to the penthouse. It was only when Rhys was actually removing the sweats with a defeated glare that Jack nearly laughed himself to death and informed him that the hospital had clothes for him already. But if Rhys wanted to strip down for Jack's pleasure, the CEO wouldn't stop him, of course. The alpha pulled his sweats back on with a few choice words for the older man.

Rhys begrudgingly stayed at Jack's side the whole way back home, but he glared at him the entire time. Jack just laughed.

\--

The older man had made a few jokes since their return to his penthouse about making some popcorn and watching the security footage of them fucking for three days straight. Sounded especially _hot_.

He fully deserved the several colorful words Rhys called him at the suggestion, but he kissed the alpha's red ear, his jaw, touched forehead to frowning forehead with a smirk. He watched Rhys' mismatched eyes with his own for a few moments, the younger man flushing at the intense inspection; something about the expression on Jack's face.

" _What_?"

Jack didn't say anything to that, but threaded his fingers over Rhys' own hand, quiet in thought. His mouth quirked. "Come on, sweetheart. I wanna sleep in my own bed and get this hospital shit off. Maybe shower." Jack let go of his hand, started for the bedroom while Rhys stood there, watching him.

"Jack...."

The older man paused, giving him a smirk. "I'm real glad I've got you looking out for me, kitten. Don't make me regret it." 

His voice was barely a whisper, and Rhys didn't realize his feet were moving until he already had Jack in his arms, embracing the omega tightly. The words he hadn't said were much louder than the ones he had; Rhys felt stupidly happy, relieved. The alpha kissed the CEO's temple and the top of his head, holding him tightly in flesh and metallic arms, nuzzling him. Jack just smiled against him and returned the embrace with a hum.

"You know what would make me happy, Rhysie?" Jack asked the younger man softly, pressing a kiss to his ear.

"What's that?" Rhys asked back just as softly.

Jack trailed hands down the younger man's back and grabbed handfuls of the alpha's ass as a wicked smirk came over his face. "A bedtime blowjob."

Rhys looked at him with a frown that made Jack smirk. "Way to ruin the moment."

"Come on sugar. Have some pity on poor Jack."

"Seriously?" Rhys frowned at him, deciding he wouldn't give him his way just for the cheekiness. "You're convalescent."

"My dick isn't." Jack ground his hips against the younger man, and Rhys gave him an exasperated look. Jack was half-hard, a leer on his tired face that he had no right making for all the hell he'd been through.

"How are you even-?" Rhys sighed as Jack just waggled his eyebrows suggestively. "No, I shouldn't give you a reward for how much you made me worry."

"Rhysie, baby, come on," Jack teased, laying it on extra thick as he kissed at the younger man's jaw. 

Rhys took the hand Jack was cupping his cheek with as he kissed all over the younger man's face. Rhys smiled despite himself, reluctantly tugging the omega back towards the bedroom. "Come on then. I'm not through with giving you shit, though."

Rhys dragged them both to the shower instead, complaining the whole time; jerked them both off under the water while devouring the older man's mouth. His relief was palpable, obvious in the ways he touched the older man and admonished him some more for experimenting on himself. Jack just snickered, promised not to do it again, and wrapped arms around the younger man. 

Rhys held on to him for maybe longer than he normally would have, told Jack he was lucky no damage had been done, and never to do that to him again. Jack teased the younger man, gave him thanks for looking out for him. Rhys called him stupid again-- that of _course_ he would- and told him once again that he was just fine the way he was, except when he was being a complete idiot. The sentiment just made the CEO grin.

For what seemed like the hundredth time since they'd met, Jack was certain he'd made the right choice in alpha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm marking this story as complete, but I _might_ do one more chapter if there's enough interest in it, in which case you might wanna bookmark or something.
> 
> Several of you here and tumblr anons have expressed interest in Jack's backstory as an omega or what his life was like trying to climb the ranks of Hyperion as an omega. With the introduction of this character Angela, I feel like it's something I could maybe do? At this moment in time, I don't think I'll touch on this subject in a separate story or anything so if I was ever to do it, it would be here.
> 
> Sooooo yeah. I guess if that's something you're interested in reading, speak up or forever hold your peace xD bahahha
> 
> http://purge-that-urge-rhackathon.tumblr.com


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